The Summer I Turned Pretty
by cecelynch
Summary: Every summer, Ally leaves her life behind and goes to Miami, where she has spent every summer of her life. Summer means seeing Mimi, her mom's best friend, and her sons, Austin and Riker. Ally has been chasing after Austin since they were small. Despite a guy named Dallas,and looks from Riker, Ally's heart belongs to Austin. Will this be the summer that changes everything?
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own" Austin and Ally" or 'The Summer I Turned Pretty", this story is basically word for word of Jenny Han's story, except I changed a few to avoid copyright, enjoy and if the characters seem OOC it's because it's AU. By the way, Auslly all the way ;) I used Riker to be Austin's brother because he actually is Ross's brother, which you probably already knew.**

Chapter One

It felt like we'd been driving for 5 years, my brother Jack, drove slower than our Grandmother. I sat next to him in the passenger seat, my feet up on the dashboard and ear buds in. Meanwhile, my mother was passed out in the back. I took my ear buds out.

"Go faster," I urged Jack. "Let's pass that kid on the bike." Jack ignored my plead. "Get your dirty feet off my dashboard."

I wiggled my toes back and forth to annoy him, they looked pretty clean to me. "It's not your dashboard. It's gonna be my car when you leave for college, you know."

He rolled his eyes.

"Hey, look!" I said pointing out the window. "That granny with a walker just lapped us!"

Jack ignored me again, so I began to play with the radio. One of my many favorite things about going to the beach was the radio stations. I was as familiar was them as the ones back home and listening to them just meant that we were really there, at the beach.

I found my favorite station, the one that played every genre you could imagine. My mother woke up and we both started singing, our voices harmonizing. I wasn't ever really one to sing in front of people, true I loved to sing but I had a terrible case of stage fright, but something about being so close to the beach made today different.

We drove through the town slowly, and even though I'd just teased Jack about it, I didn't really mind. I loved this drive, this part of the trip. Seeing the town all over again, the crab shack, the mini-golf course, and all of the surf shops, felt like coming home after you'd been gone for a long time. It held a million promises of summer and of what just might be. As we got closer and closer to the house, I could almost feel my heart pumping out of my chest. We were almost there.

I rolled down my window and breathed in the salty air, the wind making my hair fly all over the place, all of it felt perfect. Like this is what my life's purpose was.

Jack elbowed me. "Are you thinking about Austin?" he asked mockingly.

For once the answer was no. "No." I snapped.

My mother stuck her head in between our seats.

"Ally, do you still like Austin? From the looks of things last summer, I thought there might be something going on between you and Riker."

"Mom, just because two people are good friends doesn't mean there's anything going on. Don't ever bring that up again."

"Done." She said and leaned back in her seat, she sounded serious unlike Jack.

"What happened with you and Riker? You can't say something like that and not explain."

"Get over it," I told him. Telling Jack anything would only give him a motive to make fun of me. And anyways, there was nothing to say.

Austin and Riker were Mimi's boys. Mimi Moon is my mom's closest friend; they'd known each other since they were 9.

Mimi told me that when I was born she knew that I was destined for one of her boys, She called it fate, giving me her "blessing". We'd been going to Mimi's beach house in Miami since I was a baby, before I was born actually. Miami was like a second home to me, the beach house was my world. We had our own stretch of beach to ourselves. I always wondered what the boys would look like, counting down the days till summer in class. For me winter didn't count, my entire life was counted by summers. It felt like I didn't start truly living until I'm at the beach in June.

Austin was the oldest, by a year and a half. He had a perfect kind of mouth that I always found myself staring at. He had blonde hair that flipped just the right way, and he always smelled like ocean air. Guys like that make you want to kiss them, and that was exactly what I wanted to do with Austin.

Riker though-was my friend. He was nice to me. He was the guy who still hugged his mother, wanted to hold her hand, even if he was way too old for it. He wasn't embarrassed either. Riker Moon was too busy having fun to be embarrassed.

I bet Austin was more popular then Riker at their school. I bet girls liked him better. Even though he preferred to play his guitar and sing more than party and drink.

When we finally pulled up at the house, Riker and Austin were sitting on the porch. I leaned over Jack and honked the horn, telling them to come help with the bags.

Ryland who was 16 now, was taller than last summer and his hair was cut short above his ears, he'd used to have long hair, he hated his shaggy hair, for a while Austin convinced him when we were younger that sandwich crusts make your hair grow so Riker stopped eating sandwich crusts and Austin would eat them. As Riker got older he started to keep his hair shorter, while Austin liked his long and in his eyes.

I sat in the car and watched Jack walk up to the two of them and hug them the ways guys do. The air smelled even more salty closer to the beach, I pretended to be tying my shoes but really I just wanted to look for a second. At the house, look at the boys, look at the sea. The house was large, grey and white, and it looked like every other beach house looked. But it looked like home.

My mother got out of the car too. "Hey boys, where's your mother?" She called out.

"Hey Penny, she's taking a nap," Riker told her. Usually Mimi came flying out the door the second our tires hit the driveway.

My mother walked over to them and pulled them both into a tight hug. Then she disappeared into the house, pushing her sunglasses onto the top of her head.

I got out of the car and slung my bag over my shoulder. They didn't even notice me at first. But then they did. they really did. Austin gave me a quick glance over like guys at the mall do. Austin's never looked at me like that before. I felt my face flush. Austin looked like he didn't even recognize me. All of this happened in the span of three seconds, but it felt like an hour.

Austin hugged me first, but a faraway kind of hug, careful not to get too close. He smelled like the ocean. He smelled like Austin. ' I liked you better with glasses." He said, his lips close to my ear.

That stung. I shoved him away from me and said, "Well, too bad. My contacts are here to stay."

He smiled at me, and that smile- he is just forgiven. His smile did that every time. "I think you got some new ones." He said tapping me on my nose. He knew how self-conscious I was about my freckles and he still teased me every time.

Riker grabbed me next, and he almost lifted me into the air. "Our Ally's all grown up," he said.

I laughed. 'Put me down," I teased. "You smell like BO."

Riker laughed loudly. "Same old Ally," he said, but he was staring at me like wasn't quite sure who I was. He cocked his head and said, "Something looks different about you, Ally."

"What? I got contacts." I wasn't completely used to myself without my glasses either. My best friend Taylor had been trying to convince me to get contacts since 6th grade, and I'd finally listened.

He smiled. "It's not that. You just look different."

I went back to the car then and the boys followed me. We unloaded the van quickly, and as soon as we were done I picked up my suitcase and my book bag and headed straight for my old bedroom. My room was Mimi's when she was younger. It had faded music notes painted all over the walls and a white bedroom set. A music box that I loved, when you opened it there was a twirling ballerina that danced to the theme song to _Romeo and Juliet. _ I kept my jewelry in it. Everything in my room was old and faded but I liked it like that. There could be hidden secrets in these walls, the bed, and in that music box.

Seeing Austin again, and having him look at me that way made me need to take a second to breathe. I grabbed the stuffed dolphin on my dresser and hugged him to my chest, his name was Dougie. I sat down on the twin bed with Dougie. My heart was beating so loud I could hear it. Everything was the same but not. They had looked at me like I was a real girl, not somebody's little sister.

**I hoped you liked it! Please review and tell me if you want Chapter Two!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two! You guys have no idea how much those reviews mean to me! Once again I don't own anything! By the way, R5's EP Loud camp out today! You should go and buy it, you will NOT regret it.

Chapter Two

For the first time I ever had my heart broken was at this house, I was twelve years old

It was one of those odd nights when the boys weren't all together- Jack and Riker went on an overnight fishing trip with some boys they'd met at the arcade. Austin said he didn't feel like going, and of course I wasn't invited, so it was just me and him.

Well, not together, but in the same house.

I was reading a book, some romance novel, in my room when Austin walked by, he stopped and said, "Ally, what are you doing tonight?"

I folded the cover of my book over fast. "Nothing." I told him, trying not to sound too excited or eager. I left my door open on purpose hoping he'd stop by.

"Want to go to the boardwalk with me?" he asked. He sounded casual, almost too casual.

This was the moment I'd been waiting for. I was finally old enough, I glanced over at him, and just as casual as he'd been. "Maybe. I have been craving a caramel apple."

"I'll buy one for you," he offered. "Just hurry up and put some clothes on and we'll go. Our moms are going to see a movie; they'll drop us off on their way."

I sat up and said, "Okay."

As soon as he left, I closed my door and ran over to my mirror, I took my messy braids and brushed it. It was longer than usual that summer, halfway to my waist. Then I changed out of my bathing suit and out on white shorts and my favorite floral tank-top. I smeared some lip gloss on my lips and tucked the tube into my back pocket, just in case I needed to reapply later.

In the car Mimi kept smiling at me in the rearview mirror. I gave her a _please, quit it _look but I really wanted to smile back, Austin was staring out the window anyways.

"Have fun, kids." said Mimi, winking at me as I closed my door.

Austin bought me a caramel apple first. He bought himself water, but that was it. He ate an apple or two, or a funnel cake. He seemed nervous, which made me feel less nervous.

As we walked down the boardwalk together, I let my arm hang loose, _in case._ But he didn't reach for it. It was one of those perfect nights, where there's a cool breeze and not a drop of rain. There would be rain tomorrow, but there were breezes for now.

I said, "Let's sit down so I can eat my apple," so we did. We sat on a bench that faced the beach. I bit into my careful not to get apple in my teeth, because then how would he kiss me?

He sipped his water noisily, and then glanced down at his wrist. "When you finish that, let's go down to the ring toss."

He wanted to win me a stuffed animal! I already knew which one I'd pick too- the dolphin. I'd had my eye on it all summer. I could already picture myself showing it off to Taylor. Oh that? Austin Moon won it for me.

I wolfed my apple down in two bites. "Kay," I said, wiping my mouth with my hand. "Let's go"

Austin walks straight over to the ring toss, and I had to walk superfast to keep up with his strides. As oddlyl, he wasn't talking much, so I talked even more to make up for it, "I think when we get back, my mom is finally going to get us cable. Jack and I have been trying to convince her forever. She claims to be against TV but then she watches it the whole time were here, she's so hypocritical." I said, and my voice trailed off when I realized Austin wasn't even listening. He was watching the girl who worked the ring toss,

She looked like she was about 14 or 15, but the first thing I noticed about her was her shorts, they were yellow, and they were short. Really, really, really, short. The exact shorts I had been wearing two days earlier that boys had made fun of. I felt so good about buying those shorts with Mimi, and then the boys had laughed at me for it. The shorts looked way better on her.

Her arms were skinny and tan, and so were her arms. Actually everything about her was skinny, Her hair was long and wavy, it was a deep blonde, it looked almost gold. It might have been the most beautiful hair I've ever seen.

Austin had come to the boardwalk for her. He had brought me so he wouldn't be alone and he hadn't wanted Jack and Riker to embarrass him. That was it. The whole reason, I could see it in the way he looked at her, the way he almost seemed to hold his breath.

"Do you know her?" I asked.

He looked surprised, like he had forgotten I was there with him. "Her? No, not really."

I bit my lip. " Do you want to?"

"Do I want to what?" He asked, confused which was annoying.

"Do you want to know her?" I asked impatiently.

"Oh, I guess."

I grabbed him by the shirt sleeve and dragged him to the booth. The girl smiled at us, and I smiled right back, it was just for show, "How many rings?" She asked.

"Three," I told her. " I like your shorts."

"Thanks." She said.

Austin cleared his throat. "They're nice."

"I thought you said they were too short when I wore the exact same pair two days ago." I turned to the girl and said, "Austin is so over protective. Do you have a big brother?"

She laughed. "Nope." To Austin she said. "Do you think they're too short?"

Austin blushed and in all the years I'd known Austin, I'd never seen him blush. I had a feeling it would be the last. I made a show of looking at my watch and said, "Aus, I'm gonna go to the Ferris wheel before we leave. Win me a prize, okay?"

Austin nodded quickly, and I said bye to the girl and left as fast as I could so they wouldn't see me cry.

Later on I found out the girl's name was Cassidy. Austin ended up winning me the dolphin, He said Cassidy said it was the best prize they had. He said he thought I'd like it too. I told him I'd rather have had the giraffe, but thank you anyways, I named him Dougie, and I left him where he belonged, at the beach house.


	3. Chapter 3

**This is Chapter Three, thank you for still reviewing! This one is really short but I promise I will make up for it soon!This chapter is set in the present.**

Chapter Three

After I unpacked, I went straight down to the pool, where I knew the boys would be. They were lying on the deck chairs, feet hanging off the edge.

As soon as Riker saw me he sprang up. "Ladies and gentlemen-men-men," he began, bowing like a circus ringmaster. " I do believe it's time for the first belly flop of the summer."

I inched away from them uneasily. Too fast a movement and I would be all over- they'd chase me. "No way," I said.

Then Austin and Jack got up, circling me. "You can't fight tradition." Jack said. Austin just grinned evilly.

"I'm too old for this," I said. I walked backward, and that's when they grabbed me. Jack and Riker took a wrist.

"Come on guys," I said, trying to wiggle out their grip, I dragged my feet, but they pulled me along. I knew it was useless to resist but I always tried, even though the pavement burned my feet.

"Ready?" Riker said, lifting me up under the armpits.

Austin grabbed my feet, and then Jack took my right arm while Riker hung on to my left. They swung me back and forth.

"I hate you guys," I yelled over their laughter.

"One," Riker began.

"Two," Jack said.

"And three," Austin finished. Then they launched me into the pool in my clothes. I hit the water with a loud smack and from underwater I could hear them cracking up.

The Belly Flop was something they'd started a long time ago. Probably been Jack. I hated it. Even though it was one of the only times I was included in their fun, I hated being the victim of it. It made me feel powerless, and it was just a reminder that I was an outsider, too weak to fight them off, all because I was a girl. Somebody's little sister.

I used to go crying about it to Mimi and mom, but it didn't do any good. The boys would just accuse me of tattling. Not this time though. This time I was going to be a good sport about it. If I was a good sport, maybe it would take some of their fun away.

When I came up to the surface I smiled and said, "You guys are ten year olds."

"For life," Jack said smugly. I wanted to splash and soak him and his precious sunglasses that he'd worked three works for to buy.

Then I said, "I think you twisted my ankle, Austin." I pretended to have trouble swimming over to them.

He walked over to the edge of the pool. "I'm pretty sure you'll live." He said, smirking.

"At least help me out." I demanded.

He squatted and gave me his hand, which I took.

"Thanks," I said giddily, and then I gripped tight and pulled his arm as hard as I could. He stumbled forward and landed in the pool with a splash bigger than mine. I don't think I've ever laughed harder than that. Riker and Jack were laughing too. I think maybe all of Miami heard us laughing.

Austin's head bobbed up quickly, and he swam over to me in about two strokes. I was worried he might be mad at me, but he wasn't, bot completely. He was smiling, but in a threatening kind of way. I dodged away from him. "Can't catch me," I said gleefully. "Too slow!"

Every time he came near me, I swam away. "Marco," I called out giggling.

Riker and Jack, who were headed back inside the house said, "Polo!"

Which made me laugh, which made me go slower, and Austin caught my foot. "Let go!" I gasped, still laughing.

Austin shook his head. "I thought I was too slow to catch you." He said, treading water closer to me. We were in the diving well. His white T-shirt was soaked through, and I could see the glow of his skin.

There was this weird silence between us all of a sudden. He still held onto my foot, and I was trying to stay afloat. For a second, I wished Riker and Jack were still out here. I don't know why I did.

"Let go." I said again.

He pulled my foot, making me come closer. Being this close to him was making me feel dizzy. I said it again, one last time, even though I didn't truly mean it. "Austin, let go of me."

He did. And then he dunked me. It didn't matter I was already holding my breath.

I said again.

He pulled my foot, making me come closer. Being this close to him was making me feel dizzy. I said it again, one last time, even though I didn't truly mean it. "Austin, let go of me."

He did. And then he dunked me. It didn't matter I was already holding my breath.

**So there it is! A little fluffy but cute. Chapter 4 will for sure be posted tomorrow! I pinky promise! Keep reviewing. Reviews are the Austin to my Ally!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four will be longer than the other three I have up, there are some flashbacks in these, I tell you before. I own nothing again. Keep up the reviews!**

Chapter Four

Mimi came down from her nap a little while after we put on dry clothes, apologizing for missing our homecoming. She still looked tired, and her hair was little messy. She and my mom hugged first, my mother looked very happy see her, I thought I saw a tear, my mother never cries.

Then it was my turn for a hug, Mimi pulled me into a tight and firm hug.

"You look thin," I told her, partly because it was true and because she loved hearing it. She was always on a diet, always watching what she ate and what she didn't. To us, she was perfect.

"Thanks sweetheart," She said, finally releasing me from our hug, looking me over. She shook her head and said. "When did you grow up on us? When did you turn into a woman?"

I smile self-consciously, glad the boys were upstairs and not around to hear this. "I look pretty much the same."

"You've always been lovely, but oh my goodness, you are a vision." She shook her head like she was in awe of me. "Oh honey, you're so pretty, you're going to have an amazing summer. It'll be a summer to remember." Mimi always talked like that, and when she did it sounded like a proclamation, like it would come true because she said.

The thing is, Mimi was right. It was a summer I would always remember. I'd never ever, ever forget. It would be the summer that changed everything. When everything began. It was the summer I turned pretty. Because it was the first time I felt it. Pretty, I mean. Every summer up to this one, I'd always believed it'd be different. Life would be different. And that summer it finally was.

Dinner the first night was always the same: a big pot of Mimi's chili, Mimi put the pot in the middle of the table, along with packets of crackers tossed around it. Each of us would get a bowl and help ourselves to the pot throughout dinner, dipping the ladle back into the pot. Mimi and mom always had red wine, us kids had grape Fanta, but on that night there were wineglasses for all of us.

"I think we're all old enough now? Don't you think Pen?" Mimi said as we sat down.

"I don't know about that," my mother began, but then stopped. "Oh, all right, fine. I'm being protective, isn't that right Mim?"

Mimi laughed and uncorked the bottle. "You? Never," she said, pouring a little wine for us each. "It's a special night. It's the first night of summer."

Austin drank his wine in about two gulps. He said, "It's not the first night of summer, mom."

"Oh, yes it is. Summer doesn't start until our friend get here," Mimi said and touching my and Austin's hands.

He jerked away from her,, almost by accident. Mimi didn't seem to notice, but I did. I always noticed Austin.

Riker must have seen it too, because he changed the subject. "Ally, check out my latest scar," he said, pulling up his shirt. "I scored three field goals that night." Riker played football, he was always proud of his battle scars.

I leaned in next to him to get a better look. Clearly he'd been working out. He stomach was flat and hard, and it hadn't looked like that last summer. He looked bigger than Austin did now. "Wow," I said.

Austin snorted. "Riker just wants to show off his two pack," he said, opening a pack of cracker and dipping one into his bowl. "Why don't you show all of us, and not just Ally?"

"Yeah, show us Rik," Jack said smiling.

Riker smiled right back. To Austin he said, "You're just jealous because you quit." Austin had quit football? That was new.

"Austin, you quit, man?" Jack asked. I guessed it was news to him too. Austin was really good; Mimi would send us newspaper clippings of them in the mail. He and Riker had been on the team together for two years, but Austin had been the star.

Austin shrugged. His hair was still wet from the pool, and so was mine. "I wanted to focus on my music," he said.

Riker stood up and pulled off his shirt. "Pretty nice, huh?"

Mimi threw her head back in laughter and my mom did too. "Sit down, Riker," She said tossing a pack of crackers at him.

"What do you think Ally? He asked me. He looked like he was winking even though he wasn't.

"Pretty nice," I agreed trying not to smile at him.

"Now it's Ally's turn to show off," Austin said mockingly.

"Ally doesn't need to show off, we can all already see how beautiful she is by looking at her," Mimi said, sipping her wine and smiling.

"Beautiful? Yeah, right," Jack said. "She's a beautiful pain in my ass."

"Jack," my mom warned.

"What'd I say?" He asked.

"Jack's too much of a pig to understand the concept of beautiful," I said sweetly. I pushed some crackers towards him. "Oink, oink, here you go Jack."

"Don't mind if I do," he said, devouring the crackers.

"Ally, tell us about your hot friends you're gonna set me up with." Riker said.

"Didn't we already try that once?" I said. "Don't tell me you forgot about Taylor Jewel."

Everyone burst out laughing, even Austin.

Riker's cheeks turned red, but he was laughing also, and shaking his head. "You're not a nice girl Ally," he said. "There are plenty of girls, who are cute at the country club, don't worry about me. Worry about Aus. He's the one missing out."

The original plan was for both Riker and Austin to work at the country club as lifeguards this summer.. Austin did it last year, and this year Riker was old enough to do it too, but Austin changed his mind and said he wanted to bus tables at the fancy buffet instead.

We used to go there all the time. Kids twelve and under could eat for twenty dollars, there used to be a time when I was the only one twelve and younger. My mom always made sure to make a big deal out of telling the waiter u was younger than twelve. Every time she did, I felt like vanishing, wishing I was invisible. It wasn't that the boys made a big deal out of it, which they could have, but it was the feeling of being different, an outsider, that bothered me. I hated being pointed out. I wanted to be just like them.


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own anything. This story is a flash back by the way, from when Ally is ten. Thank you for reviewing. This one is a short one.**

Chapter Five

Age Ten

Right off the bat, the boys were a team, Austin the leader. His word was pretty much law, Jack was his second in command and Riker was the jester. The first night there that year, Austin decided the boys were going to sleep on the beach and make a fire, he was a boy scout, he knew all about that stuff.

Jealously, I watched them plan their night, especially when they packed the marshmallows and graham crackers, Don't take the whole box, I wanted to say. I didn't though, it wasn't my place.

"Jack, make sure you bring the flashlight," Austin directed. Jack nodded, I had never seen him take orders before, he looked up to Austin, who was eight months older than him.

Everybody had somebody but me, I wished I was home with my dad, making butterscotch sundaes and eating them on his living room flor.

"Riker, don't forget the cards," Austin added, as he rolled up a sleeping bag.

Riker saluted him and danced a little jig, which made me giggle. "Sir yes sir." He turned to me on the couch and said. "Austin is bossy like our dad. Don't ever feel like you have to listen to what he tells you to do."

Riker talking to me made me feel brave enough to say, "Can I come too?"

Right away Jack said, "No. Guys only. Right, Austin?"

Austin hesitated. 'Sorry Ally," He said, and he really looked sorry. For two seconds. Then he went back to rolling up the sleeping bag.

I turned away from them and faced the TV. "Okay, I don't really care anyways."

"Ooh, watch out, Ally's gonna cry," Jack said happily. To Riker and Austin he said, 'When she doesn't get what she wants, she cries. Our dad always falls for it."

"Shut up, Jack!' I yelled. I was worried I really would start to cry, and the last thing I needed was for them to think of me as a crybaby. Then they'd never take me for real.

"Ally's gonna cry," Jack said in a singsong voice. Then he and Riker started to dance a jig together.

"Leave her alone." Austin said.

Jack stopped dancing. "What?" he said confused.

"You guys are so immature," Austin said, shaking his head.

I watched them pick up their gear and get ready to leave. I was about to lose my chance to camp with them and be a part of their gang. Quickly, I said, "If you don't let me go, I'll tell mom."

Jack's face twisted. "No, you won't. Mom hates it when you tattle."

It was true, my mother hated it when I told on Jack for things like this. She'd say he needed his own time, that I could go next time, and it would more fun at the house with her and Mimi anyways. I sank into the couch arms crossed. I'd lost my chance. Now I looked like a tattletale, and a baby.

On the way out Riker turned around and danced another jig for me, I couldn't help it, I laughed. Over his shoulder Austin said, "Goodnight Ally."

And that was it, I was in love.

**Thought I 'd give you a flashback and some more fluff to end today, sorry it took me so long to post these, tomorrow's chapter will be longer.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Today is our first snow day of the year! Oh my gosh, it never snows here but it is coming down hard out there! This means I will be posting a ton today! I OWN NOTHING. This chapter is set in present.**

Chapter Six

I didn't notice right away that their family had more money than ours. The beach house wasn't some extreme fancy beach house. It was a real honest-to-God beach house, the kind that's lived in and comfortable. It had faded old couches, and a creaking La-Z-Boy us kids always fought over, and peeling paint on its walls.

But the house was big, room enough for us all and more. They'd built an addition a few years ago. On one end there was my mom's room, Mimi's and Mr. Moon's room, and a guest room. On the other end was my room, another guest room, and the room the boys shared, which made me jealous. There used to be bunk beds and a twin in that room, and I could hear them giggling and whispering late into the night through the wall. A couple of times, the boys let me sleep in there, but only when they wanted to scare me, I was a good audience,

Since we've gotten older, the boys stopped sharing a room, Jack started staying over at the parent's side and Riker and Austin both had their rooms on m end. The boys and I have shared a bathroom since the beginning. Ours is at the end of the house, and then my mother has her own, Mimi's is connected to the Master bedroom. There are two sinks, Riker and Austin share one, and Jack and I shared the other.

When we were little, the boys never put the seat down, they still didn't. It was a constant reminder that I was different, and wasn't one of them. Little things have changed thought. It used to be that they left water all over the place, from washing their hands or splash fights, but now that they are older and shave, it's there tiny hairs all over the counter and the counters were crowded with their cologne and deodorants.

They had more cologne than I had perfume. Which I kept on the dresser in my room, I never wore it anyways. I don't know why I even brought it with me.

After dinner I stayed downstairs on the couch and so did Austin. He sat across from me, strumming his guitar with his head bent.

"So I heard you have a girlfriend," I said," I hear it's pretty serious."

"My brother has a big mouth." About a month before we'd left for Miami, Riker had called Jack. They were on the phone for a long time, and I hid outside of Jack's door listening. Jack didn't say a whole lot on his end, but it seemed like a serious conversation. I burst into his room and asked what they were discussing. Jack accused me of being a spy, but finally told me that Austin had a girlfriend.

"So what's she like?" I didn't look at him when I said this. I was afraid he'd be able to see how much I cared.

Austin cleared his throat. "We broke up," He said.

I almost gasped, my heart thumped. "Your mom is right, you are a heart breaker." I meant it as a joke, but the words rang through my head like a declaration.

He flinched. "She dumped me," he said flatly.

I couldn't ever imagine someone breaking up with someone like Austin, I wonder what she was like, suddenly she was this interesting person in my head. "What was her name?"

"What does it matter?" He asked, his voice rough. Then, "Brook, her name is Brooke."

"Why did she break up with you?" I couldn't help myself. I was too curious. Who was this girl? Was she a surfer kind of girl like Austin? Or the complete opposite?

Austin set his guitar down and stared into space, "She said I changed."

"And did you?"

"I don't know. Everybody changes. You did."

"How did I change?"

He shrugged and picked up his guitar again. "Like I said everybody changes."

Austin got into music around middle school; I loved it when he played his guitar. He'd sit there strumming halfway paying attention, only halfway there. He'd hum to himself and sometimes I'd catch him singing lyrics. He was somewhere else. We'd be watching TV, or playing games and he'd be strumming the guitar, or in his room practicing. All I didn't like about his guitar was that it took time away from us.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm really enjoying this story. It's very unique. I don't own anything. This is a very fluffy chapter. By the way if mention Trish, that's who Taylor is, she is now Trish, I need to fit her in here!**

Chapter Seven

When I couldn't sleep, I'd sneak down to the pool to swim, I'd start doing laps and I'd keep going until I felt tired. When I went to bed, my muscles felt nice and sore, but heavy and relaxed. I loved bundling up after a swim in one of Mimi's blue bath sheets,

Two summers ago, Mimi had found me swimming, some nights she'd swim with me. I'd be under the water, doing a lap, and I feel her dive in and start to swim on the other side of the pool. We wouldn't talk, we'd just swim. It was a comforting feeling to have her there. It was the only times that summer I saw her without her wig.

Back then, because of the chemo, Mimi wore her wig all the time. No one ever saw her without it, not even my mom. Mimi had the most beautiful hair in the world, long and a soft gold color. Her wig didn't even come close, even though it had real hair and was the best money could buy. After the chemo, her hair grew back, but she kept it short, right below the chin. It was pretty, but not the same, if you looked at her now, you would never be able to guess that she used to have hair long like a teenagers, like mine.

The first night I couldn't sleep. It always took me a night or two to get used to the bed again. I tossed and turned for a while, until I couldn't take it anymore. I changed into my bathing suit and headed for the pool.

I swam back and forth for a while, on my fourth lap, I started to flip turn, but I hit something solid. I came up for air and saw it was Austin's leg. He was sitting at the edge of the pool, with his feet dangling in the water. He'd been watching me the whole time.

I stayed under water to my chin, suddenly aware of how small my bathing suit was. No way was I getting out of the water with him still here.

"What are you doing here?" I asked accusingly. He had that amused Austin look on his face, the one that drove me crazy. "I couldn't sleep so I went out for a walk," He said shrugging.

"How'd you know I was out here?" I demanded.

"You always swim out here at night, Ally. Come on."

He knew I swam at night? I thought it was my special secret, mine and Mimi's. I wondered how long he had known. I wondered if anybody else knew. I don't even know why it mattered, but it did. To me, it did. "Okay, fine."

The air felt different all of a sudden. It felt charged, electric, like I had been zapped. I let go of the edge and started to tread water, away from him. It felt like forever before he spoke. "Good night, Ally. Don't stay out here too late. You know what kind of monsters come out at night."

Everything felt normal again. I splashed water at his leg as he walked away. "Screw you," I said to his back.

A long time ago, Austin and Riker and Jack had convinced me that there was a child killer loose, the kind who liked little girls with brown hair, and brown eyes.

He didn't answer me, he just laughed. I could tell by the way his shoulders shook as he closed the gate.

After he left, I fell back into the water and floated. I could feel my heart beating through my ears. Austin was different. I'd sensed something at dinner, before he'd told me about Brooke. He had changed. And yet, the way he affected me was still the same, exactly the same. Like I was on top of a roller coaster, right about to go down the first hill.

"Ally, have you called your dad yet?" my mom asked me the next day.

"No."

"I think you should call him and tell him how you're doing."

I rolled my eyes. "I doubt he's sitting at home worrying about it."

"Still,"

"Have you made Jack call him?" I countered.

"No, I haven't," she said, her tone level. "Your dad and Jack are about to spend two weeks together looking at colleges. You won't get to see him until the end of summer."

Why did she have to be so reasonable? Everything was like that with her. My mom was only person I knew who could have a reasonable divorce. My mom handed me the phone. "Call your father," she said and left the room. She always left the room when I called my dad, like she was giving me privacy. As if I was telling him secrets that I couldn't tell him in front of her.

I didn't call him. I put the phone on it's cradle. He should be the one calling me, not me calling him. He was the father, and I was his kid. Anyways, dads didn't belong in the summer house. Not my dad, and not Mr. Moon. Sure, they'd come visit but it was their place. They didn't belong to it. Not the way we did, the mothers and the kids.


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own anything, hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a flashback to when Ally is night. I know in the beginning of the story I said Austin was 17, he's actually 18 in present. (:

Chapter Eight

_Age Nine _

We were playing cards outside on the porch, my mom and Mimi were drinking margaritas and playing their own game. The sun was just setting, and soon our mothers would have to go inside and boil corn and hot dogs. But not yet. They played cards first.

"Penny, why do you call my mom Beck, when we all call her Mimi?" Riker wanted to know. Riker and my brother, Jack were a team and he was always looking for something more interesting to talk about or do.

"Because her maiden name is Beck," my mom explained.

"What's a maiden name?" Riker asked. My brother tapped Riker's hand of cards to get him back into the game, but Riker ignored him.

"It's a lady's name before she gets married, dipwad," Austin said.

"Austin, don't call him a dipwad," Mimi said automatically, sorting through her hand.

"But why does she have to change her name at all?" Riker wondered.

"She doesn't. I didn't. My name is Penny Dunne, same as the day I was born. Nice, huh?" My mother liked to feel superior to Mimi for not changing her name. "After all, why should a woman have to change her name for a man? She shouldn't."

"Penny, please shut up," said Mimi, throwing some cards onto the table. "Gin."

My mom sighed, and threw her cards down also. "I don't want to play gin anymore. Let's play something else. Let's play with the kids."

"Sore loser," Mimi said.

"Mom, were not playing go fish. We're playing hearts, and you can't play because you always cheat." I said. Austin was my partner, and I was pretty sure we were winning. I had picked him on purpose, Austin was the best at winning. He was the fastest swimmer, the best surfer and he always won at cards.

Mimi clapped her hands together and laughed. "Pen, this girl is all you."

My mother said, "No, Ally's her father's daughter," and they exchanged this secret look that made me want to ask "What?" But I knew my mother would never tell us. She was a secret-keeper, always had been. And I guessed I did look like my father. All I had of my mother was her hands.

Then the moment was over, Mimi smiled at me and said, 'You're absolutely right, Ally. Your mom does cheat. She's always cheated at hearts. Cheaters never prosper, children."

Mimi was always calling us children, but the thing was, I didn't ever really mind. Normally I would. But the way Mimi said it, it didn't seem like a bad thing, not like we were small and babyish, but like we had our whole lives ahead of us.

(_Present)_

Mr. Moon would pop in throughout the summer, an occasional weekend, and always the first weekend of August. He was a banker, and getting away for any real length of time was simply impossible. Any it didn't matter, because it was better without him here, when it was just us. When Mr, Moon came into town, which was hardly ever, I stood up a little straighter. All of us did, except for Mimi and my mom. The funny thing was, my mother had known Mr. Moon for as long as Mimi had, the three of them had all gone to college together, and their school was small.

Mimi told me to call Mr. Moon "Mike," but I never did. It didn't sound right. Mr., Moon was what did, so that's what I called him. Jack called him that too. I think something about him made people want to call him that, and not just kids. I think he preferred it like that.

He'd arrive at dinnertime when we were little, on a Friday night. Mimi would fix his favorite drink and have it ready, Mom would tease her for waiting on him, but Mimi didn't mind. My mother teased Mr. Moon, and he didn't mind either, in fact, he teased her right back. Maybe teasing isn't the right word, they bickered, but they smiled a lot too. It was funny, my mom and dad never argued, but they never smiled that much either.

I guess Mr. Moon was good-looking, for a dad. He was better-looking than my dad, but he was more uptight than my dad, I don't know if he was as good-looking as Mimi was beautiful but that might have been because I loved Mimi more than almost anyone. And who could measure up to that? Sometimes it's like people are a million times more beautiful to you in your mind. It's like you see them through a special lends, but maybe if it's how you see them, that's how they really are. It's like the whole tree falling in the forest thing.

Mr. Moon gave us kids a twenty dollar bill anytime we went anywhere. Austin was always in charge of it. "For ice cream," he'd say. "Buy yourselves something sweet." Something sweet. It was always something sweet. Austin worshipped him. His dad was his hero. And for a long time my dad was mine too, I think it stopped when I saw him with one of his students after him and my mom split. She wasn't even pretty.

It would be easy to blame my dad for the whole divorce. The new apartment. But if I blamed anyone it was my mother. Why did she have to be so calm? At least my dad cried. At least he was in pain. Mu mom said nothing, revealed nothing. Our family broke, and she just went on. That wasn't right.

When we got home from the beach the summer after the divorce, my dad had already moved out-his music, his chess set, his cat Claude. Claude was his cat, he belonged to my dad in a way he didn't to anyone else. Still, something about Claude being gone left our house with an empty feeling.

My dad had taken me out to Applebee's, and he said, apologetically, "I'm sorry I took Claude. Do you miss him?"

"No," I said. I couldn't look up from my salad. "He was yours anyways."

So my dad got Claude and my mom got us kids. It worked out for everyone. We saw my father most weekends. We'd stay at his apartment that smelled like mildew, no matter how much air freshener he sprayed.

It was a two bedroom apartment, he slept in the master bedroom, I slept in the other one with a little twin bed and pink sheets and Jack took the pullout couch. Which I was actually very jealous of because he got to stay up and watch television. All my room had was a bed and a white dresser that I barley even used. Only one dresser had clothes in it. The rest were empty. There was a bookshelf too, with books my father thought I'd like to read. My father kept hoping I'd turn out smart like him. I did like to read, but not the way he did. Not the way of being a scholar. I liked novels, not nonfiction. And I hated those pink scratchy sheets. I wish he had gotten yellow or a blue.

He did try though, he bought a secondhand piano and crammed it into the dining room just for me. So I could practice when I stayed there. I hardly did, it was out of tune, but I never had the heart to tell him that.

It's why I longed for summer; it meant I didn't have to stay with my father in his sad little apartment. It was depressing there. I wished I could see him at our house, our real house, like it used to be. And since my mother had us most of the summer, he took Jack and me on a trip when we got back. Usually it was to some other place in Florida, to see our grandma. It was a depressing trip too, Grandma spent the entire time trying to convince him to get back with our mom, whom she adored. "Have you talked to Penny lately?" She'd ask, ever long after the divorce.

I hated hearing her nag him about it, it wasn't like it was in his control, because it was my mother who had split up with him. It was her who had started the divorce and pushed the whole thing. I knew that for sure, my father would have been perfectly content with carrying on living in our house with Claude and his books.

I think he would have stayed with her forever, trying to figure out who she was. He was a puzzle solver.

To me, my mother wasn't that mysterious. She was my mothers, always reasonable, sure of herself, and to me she was as mysterious as a glass of water. She knew what she wanted, and what she didn't.

When we were at my Grandma's, my mother took off on a trip. She'd go to far off places and visit the safari and jungles. She always went alone and took lots of pictures, I never asked to look at them, and she never asked if I wanted too.


	9. Chapter 9

**I really appreciate the reviews you guys keep giving me. I don't own anything. I love writing OOC! **

Chapter Nine

I was sitting in a kitchen chair eating toast and reading a magazine when my mom came out joined me. She had the most serious look on her face, her look of purpose, the one she got when she wanted us to have one of our mother-daughter talks. I dreaded those talks the same way I dreaded my period.

"What are you doing today?" she asked me casually.

I stuffed the rest of my toast in my mouth. "This?"

"Maybe you could star on your summer reading," she said, brushing some crumbs off my chin.

"Yeah, I was planning on it," I lied.

My mom cleared her throat. "Is Austin doing drugs?" she asked me.

"What?"

"Is Austin doing drugs?"

I almost choked. "No! Why are you even asking me anyway? Austin doesn't talk to me, ask Jack."

"I already did. He doesn't know. He wouldn't lie," she said peering at me.

"Well, I wouldn't either!"

My mom sighed. "I know. Mimi is just worried, he's been acting differently. He quit football…"

"I quit dance," I said rolling my eyes at her. "You don't see me running around with a crack pipe."

My mom pursed her lips "Will you promise to tell me if you hear something?"

"I don't know…" I teased. I didn't need to promise her, I knew Austin wasn't doing drugs. A beer was one thing, but Austin would never do drugs. I would bet my life on it.

"Ally, this is serious."

"Mom, Austin's not doing drugs. Trust me."

(**Age Thirteen**)

The first time they did it, they thought we didn't know. It was actually pretty stupid of them, because it was one of those nights when we were all home. We were in the living room, Austin listening to music with his headphones on, and Riker and Jack were playing a video game. I was sitting on the La-Z-Boy reading, mostly because it made me look smart, not really because I enjoyed it.

I think Jack smelled it first. He looked around, and sniffed the air like a dog, then said, "Do you guys smell that?"

"I told you not to eat all those beans at dinner, Jack," Riker said, his eyes focused on the screen.

I snickered, but it wasn't gas; I smelled it too. I was pot. "It's pot," I said, loudly. I wanted to be the one to say it first, it made me look sophisticated.

'No way," Riker said.

Austin took his headphones off and said, "Ally's right. It's pot."

Jack paused the game and turned to look at me. "How do you know what pot smells like Ally?" he questioned.

"Because Jack, I get high all the time. I'm a burnout. You didn't know?" I hated it when Jack pulled the big brother routine, especially in front of Riker and Austin, it made me feel small.

He ignored me. "Is that coming from upstairs?"

"It's my mom's," Austin said, putting his headphones back on. 'It's for her chemo."

Riker didn't know. I could tell. He didn't say anything, but he looked confused and even hurt, the way he scratched the back of his neck and looked into space. Jack and I exchanged a look. It was awkward whenever Mimi's cancer came up, the two of us being outsiders and all. We mostly pretended it wasn't happening, the way Riker did.

My mother didn't though. Matter of fact, she was calm about it, the way she is about everything. Mimi said my mom made her feel normal. My mom was good at that, making people feel normal. Safe. Like as long as she was there, nothing truly bad would happen.

When they came downstairs they were giggling like teenagers who had snuck into their parent's liquor cabinet. Cleary, my mother had taken part of Mimi's stash.

Jack and I exchanged another look, this time a horrified look. My mom was the last person you would expect to be smoking pot, except maybe her mother.

"Did you kids eat all the Cheetos?" my mom asked, going through the pantry. "I'm starving."

"Yes." Jack told her, not even looking at her.

"What about the Fritos? Get those." Mimi ordered, coming up behind me, touching my head lightly.

"How are you liking the book so far?" she asked me. Mimi had a way of focusing on you that made you feel like the most important person in the world.

I opened my mouth to lie about how it was great it was, but before I could, Austin said very loudly. "She hasn't turned the page in an hour." He was still wearing his headphone.

I glared at him, but inside I was thrilled that he had noticed. He had been watching me. But of course he noticed- Austin noticed everything. It wasn't really a compliment to be noticed by Austin. It was a matter of fact

"You'll love it once it gets going," Mimi assured me, sweeping the hair out of my eyes,"

"It takes me a while to get into a book," I said, in a way that made me sound sorry. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, since she was the one who recommended it.

Then my mother came into the room with a bag of Twizzlers and a half eaten bag of Fritos, she tossed a Twizzler at Mimi and yelled out, "Catch!"

Mimi reached for it, but it fell on the floor. She giggled and picked it up. "Clumsy me," she said. Chewing on one end and laughing. "What had gotten into me?"

"Mom, everyone knows you guys were smoking pot up there," Austin said, just barely bobbing his head to the music. Mimi covered her mouth, she didn't say anything she genuinely looked upset.

"Whoops," my mom said. "I guess the secrets out. Boys, your mom has been taking medical marijuana to help with the nausea from her chemo."

Jack didn't look at her again when he said, "What about you mom? Are you doing marijuana because of your chemo too?"

I knew he was trying to lighten the mood, because Jack was good at that.

Mimi laughed and my mom threw a Twizzler at his head. "Smart mouth. I'm offering moral support to my best friend in the world. There are worse things."

Jack picked up the Twizzler and popped it into his mouth. "So I guess it's okay with you if I smoke too?"

"When you get breast cancer," my mom told him, smiling with Mimi, her best friend.

"Or when your best friend does," Mimi said.

All throughout this, Riker wasn't saying anything. He just kept looking at Mimi and then back at the TV, like he was worried she would just vanish into thin air if looked away for too long. Our mothers thought we were all at the beach that afternoon. They didn't know that Riker and I had come back to get a snack. As we walked up the front porch steps we heard them talking.

Riker stopped when he heard Mimi say, "Pen, I hate myself for even thinking this, but I think I'd rather die than give up my breast." Riker stopped breathing as he stood there. Then he sat down, I did too.

My mother said, "I know you don't mean that."

I hated it when my mom said that, and I guessed so did Mimi because she said, "Don't tell me what I mean," and I had never heard her sound like that, so harsh and angry.

"Okay, okay. I won't."

Mimi started to cry, and even though we couldn't see them, I knew my mother was rubbing circles on Mimi's back like she did to me when I was upset.

I wished I could do that for Riker, I knew it was make him feel a little better, but instead I squeezed his hand tight. He didn't even look at me, but he didn't let go. This was the moment when we became true, real friends.

Then my mother said in her most serious voice, "Your boobs are pretty goddamn amazing."

Mimi then burst out laughing, sounding like a seal barking, she was laughing and crying at the same time. Everything was going to be okay. If mom was cursing, Mimi was laughing, it would all be fine.

I let go of Riker's hand and stood up. He did too. We walked back to the beach, neither of us speaking. What was there to say? "Sorry your mom has cancer? I hope she doesn't lose a boob?"

When we got back to our stretch of beach, Austin and Jack had just come out of the water with their surfboards. We still weren't saying anything, and Jack noticed. I guessed Austin did too, but he didn't say anything. It was Jack who did, "What's with you guys?"

"Nothing," I said, pulling knees up to my chest.

"Did you guys have you're first kiss or something?" he said, shaking water off his swim trunks.

"Shut up," I told him.

"Aww, I knew it!" he said jabbing my shoulder. I shrugged him off and told him to shut up again. He started to sing, "Summer lovin', had me a blast, summer lovin', happened so fast…"

"Jack, quit being dumb," I said, rolling my eyes.

Riker stood up and started to walk towards the beach house, away from us.

"Riker, are you on your period or something?" Jack called to him "I was just kidding!" Riker didn't turn around, he just kept walking down the shore "Come on!"

"Just leave him alone," Austin said. The two of them had never seemed close, but there were times when I could see how well they understood each other, and this was one of them. Seeing Austin be protective of Riker made me feel a huge surge of love for him. Which made me feel guilty because why should I be feeding into a crush when Mimi had cancer?

I could tell Jack felt bad and confused. It was unlike Riker to just walk away. He was always the first to laugh, and joke right back.

And because I felt like rubbing the salt in the wound, I said, "You're such an asshole Jack"

Jack gaped at me. "What did I do?"

I ignored him and fell back onto the town and closed my eyes. I wish I had Austin's earphones, and I wanted to forget this day.

Later when Jack and Austin decided to go fishing, Riker declined even though night fishing was his favorite. He was always trying to get people to go with him. That night he said, he wasn't in the mood. So they left, and Riker stayed behind. We watched TV and played cards. We spent most of the summer doing that, just us. We cemented things between us that summer. He'd wake me up early in the morning and we'd go collect seashells or sand crabs, or ride our bikes to get ice cream three miles away. When it was just us two, he didn't joke around as much, but he was still Riker.

From that summer on, I felt closer to Riker than I did to my own brother, Riker was nicer. Maybe because he was somebody's little sibling too, or maybe just because he was that kind of person. He was nice to everybody. He had a talent for making people feel comfortable.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for all the comments. Some of ya'll are commenting and saying some of my chapters aren't up yet, but I'm up to Chapter Ten now, so I don't know? I don't own anything. Snow day #2!**

Chapter Ten

It had been raining for three days. By four o' clock the third day Riker was stir crazy, he hated to stay inside, he was always moving, always on his way to somewhere new. He said he couldn't take it anymore and asked who wanted to go the movies.

Austin was in his room, and when Riker went up and asked him I he wanted to come, he said no. He'd been spending a lot of time in there, and I could tell it hurt Jack's feelings. He'd be leaving soon for a college road trip with our dad, and Austin didn't seem to care. When Austin wasn't working, he was too busy strumming his guitar and listening to music.

So it was just Riker, Jack, and me. I convinced them to watch a romantic comedy about two dog walkers who walk the same route and end up falling in love. It was the only thing playing. Five minutes in, Jack stood up, disgusted. "I can't watch this," he said. "You coming Rik?"

Riker said, "Nah, I'll stay with Ally."

Jack looked surprised. But he shrugged and said, "I'll meet you guys when it's over."

I was surprised too, the movie was pretty awful.

Not long after Jack left, a big burly guy sat in the seat right in front of me. "I'll trade you," Riker whispered.

I thought about doing the fake "Oh, its okay" thing but decided against it. This was Riker, after all. I didn't have to be polite, so I said thanks and we traded. To see the screen Riker had to crane his neck and lean toward me. His hair smelled like pears, this expensive shampoo Mimi used. It was funny, he was this big tall football guy now, and he smelled so sweet. Every time he leaned in close to me, I breathed in the scent of his hair. I wished my hair could smell that sweet.

Halfway through the movie, Riker got up suddenly. He was gone for a few minutes, when he came back, he had a large soda and a pack of Twizzlers. I reached to take a sip of the soda but there were no straws. "You forgot straws," I told him.

He ripped the plastic off the Twizzler box and bit the ends off of two Twizzlers. Then he put them in the cup and smiled, he looked so proud of himself. I'd forgotten all about our Twizzler straws, we all used to do it all the time.

We sipped out of the straws at the same time, like in one of those old commercials, our heads bent forward almost touching. I wondered if people thought we were on a date.

Riker looked at me, and he smiled at me in this familiar way, and suddenly I had this crazy thought, _Riker Moon wants to kiss me._

Which, was crazy. This was Riker. He'd never looked at me like that and as for me, Austin was the one I liked, even when he got pouty and hard to read, like he was now. It had always been Austin. I'd never considered Riker, not with Austin standing there. And of course Riker had never looked at me like that way either. I was his pal, his movie-watching partner, the girl he shared a bathroom with, shared secrets with. I wasn't the girl he kissed.

**Ooh, cliffhanger!. I promise you will find out who Riker kissed. ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Oh my goodness! Thank you so much, I checked my reviews and I had 38 and then I checked them an hour later and I had 48! Now I have 62! Thank you soooo much! Here's Chapter Eleven! This one is a long one for ya'll! I don't own anything. And again, Trish is Taylor Jewel, and I'm sorry this took so long to post.**

Chapter Eleven

(_Age Fourteen_)

I knew bringing Trish was a bad idea. I knew it, but I did it anyways. Trish De la Rosa was my best friend. Trish used to say that every time I came back from the beach house she had to win me over. She had to make me want to be there, in my real life with my friends. She'd try to pair me up with the cutest guy she was obsessed with. I'd go along with it, but those boys didn't compare to Austin or Riker, so what was the point?

Trish was always the outgoing one, the one the boys talked too. I was the funny one, the one who made boys laugh. I thought that bringing her I'd prove that I was a pretty one too? See, i'm like her, we are the same. But we weren't and everybody knew it. I thought that bringing Trish would guarantee me an invitation to the boy's late night walks and nights on the beach. I thought it would open up my whole social world for that summer that I would finally be in the thick of things.

I was right about that last part.

Trish had been bugging me to bring her for forever. I'd resisted her saying it'd be too crowded, but she was very persuasive. It was my own fault. I'd bragged about the boys too much. And deep down I wanted her there. She was my best friend after all.

My mother and I picked up Trish at the airport. She walked off the plane in a pair of shorts and a tank top I'd never seen before. Hugging her, I tried not to sound jealous when I said, "When'd you get that?"

"Mommy took me shopping for the beach," she said, handing me one of her bags. "Cute right?"

"Yeah, cute." Her bag was heavy, I wondered if she'd forgot she was only staying for a week.

"She feels bad she and daddy are getting a divorce, so she keeps buying me stuff," Trish continued, rolling her eyes. Trish was the only girl I knew our age who called her parents mommy and daddy. She was the only one who could get away with it too.

The boys came to her attention right away. Right away, they looked at her, checked out her b-cups and black hair, which had been straightened. It's a Miracle Bra, I wanted to tell them. That her hair is extremely curly and frizzy, and not that straight. Not that they would've cared anyways.

My brother, on the other hand, hardly looked up from the TV. Trish irritated him, always had. I wondered if he had already warned Riker and Austin about her.

"Hi Ja-ck," She said in a sing-song voice.

'Hey," He mumbled.

Trish looked at me and crossed her eyes. Grump, she mouthed, emphasis on the p.

I laughed. "Trish, this is Austin and Riker. Jack you know." I was curious about which one she'd pick, who'd she think was cuter, funnier. Better."

"Hey," She said, sizing them up, and right away I could tell she picked Austin. And I was glad, because I knew Austin would never go for her.

"Hey," they said.

Then Austin turned back to the TV just like I knew he would, Riker treated her to his lopsided smile and said, "So you're Ally's friend, huh? We thought she didn't have any."

I waited for him to grin at me to show he was just joking but he didn't even look my way. "Shut up, Riker," I said, and then he grinned at me, but went right back to looking at Trish.

"Ally has tons of friends," Trish informed him in her breezy way. "Do I look like someone who would hang with a loser?"

"Yes," My brother said from couch, his head popping up. "You do."

Trish glared at him. "Go back to jacking off, Jack." She turned to me and said, "Why don't you show me our room?"

'Yes, why don't you do that Ally? Why don't you go be Trishy's slave?" Jack said. Then he layed back down again.

I ignored him. "Come on, Trish."

As soon as we got to my room, Trish flung herself on the bed by the window, my bed. "Oh my God, he is so cute."

"Which one?" I asked, even though I already knew.

"Austin. The mysterious one, I like my men mysterious."

I rolled my eyes. Men? Taylor had only ever gone out with two boys, neither of them anything close to being men.

"I doubt it will happen," I told her. "Austin doesn't care about girls." I knew that wasn't true; he did care about girls. He'd cared enough about that Cassidy girl to go to second, hadn't he?

Trish's brown eyes gleamed. "I love a challenge. Didn't I win class president last year? And class secretary the year before?"

"Yes, of course I remember. I was your campaign managers. You were class president for two months, and then you gave up the position. Anyways, Austin's different. He's…" I hesitated trying to find the right word to describe him. "Intense. Serious. You should go for Riker. He's more your type."

'And what does that mean?" Trish demanded. 'That I'm not deep?"

'Well-" She was about as deep as a kiddy pool.

"Don't answer that." Trish opened up her duffel bag and started pulling things out. "Riker is cute, but Austin's the one I want. I am gonna make that boy's head spin."

"Don't say I didn't tell you so." I was already looking forward to saying I told you so, whenever the moment came. Hopefully sooner than later.

She lifted up a yellow polka-dot bikini. "Itsy bitsy enough for Austin, don't you think?"

"That's my bed you're sitting on."

The two of us changed into our bathing suits right away- Trish in her tiny bikini and my in my purple tankini with the support bra. Trish dangled a blue and white striped bikini with red bows on the sides. "This would be so cute on you, with your brown hair and your new boobs."

I made a face and pushed the bikini away.

Part of me did want to show off and wow them with how much I'd grown, how I was a real girl now, but the other part of me knew it would be a death wish, Jack would throw a towel over my head, I would feel ten instead of fourteen.

"But why?"

"I like to do laps in the pool," I said, which was true, I did.

She shrugged. "Okay, don't blame me when the guys don't talk to you."

I shrugged right back at her. "I don't care if they talk to me or not. I don't think of them that way."

"Yeah, right! You've been like obsessed with Austin for as long as I've known you!"

"Trish that was a really long time ago. They're like my brothers now." I said pulling on a pair of gym shorts. "Talk to them all you want."

The truth was I liked both of them in different ways and I didn't want her to know. Cause whatever guy she picked would feel like a leftover. And it wasn't like it would sway Trish. She was going for Austin either way, even if I told her. I would be jealous if she picked Riker too, because he was my friend and not hers.

It took Trish forever to pick out a pair of sunglasses that matched her bikini, plus two magazines and suntan oil. By the time we got outside the boys were already in the pool.

I threw my clothes off right away, ready to jump in, but Trish hesitated, her Polo towel tight around her shoulders, I could tell she was nervous about her itsy bitsy bikini. I was glad.

The boys didn't even look over; I had been worried that with Trish they might act differently. But there they were dunking each other for all it was worth.

Kicking off my flip flops, I said, "Let's go in the pool."

"I might lay out for a bit, don't you want to lay out?" She said, dropping her towel and spreading it across a lounge chair.

"No, it's hot and I want to swim. Besides, I'm already tan," I was, I was the color of dark toffee.

Trish was white and pasty, I had a feeling she would catch up with me quickly.

I took my sunglasses off and set them on top of my clothes, then I jumped in. when I came up for air, I swam over to the boys "Let's play Marco Polo," I said.

"Marco Polo's boring." Jack said who was trying to dunk Austin.

"Let's play chicken." Riker suggested.

"What's that?" I said.

"It's when two teams of people climb up on each other's shoulders, and you try to push the other person down," my brother explained.

"It's fun, I swear." Riker assured me. Then he called over to Trish, "Wish, you want to play with us? Or are you too chicken?"

Trish looked up from her magazine. I couldn't see her eyes, but I could tell she was annoyed. "It's Tri-sh, not Wish, Jeremy. And no, I don't want to play."

Jack and Austin exchanged a look; I knew what they were thinking. "Come on Trish, it'll be fun. Don't be a chicken." I said, rolling my eyes.

She made a big show of sighing, and then she put her magazine down and stood up, smoothing down her bikini in the back. "Do I have to take my sunglasses off?"

Riker grinned at her. "Not if you're on my team. You won't be falling off."

Trish took them off anyways. I realized the teams were uneven, and that someone would have to sit out. "I'll sit out" I offered, even though I wanted to play.

"That's okay. I won't play," Austin said.

"We'll play two rounds," Jack said.

Austin shrugged, "That's alright." He swam over to the edge of the pool.

"I call Tri-sh," Riker announced.

"No fair, she's smaller," Jack argued. Then looked at me and saw the expression on my face. "It's just that you're taller than her."

"Why don't I just sit out? I'd hate to break your neck Jack."

Riker said, "Aw, I'll take you Ally. We'll take them down. I think you're a lot tougher than little Tri-sh."

He crouched down in the water and I climbed on his shoulders, then he stood up and righted himself.

I shifted and balanced my hands in his head. "Am I too heavy?" I asked him quietly. He was so wiry and thin, I thought I'd break him.

"You weigh, like, nothing," he lied, breathing hard and gripping onto my legs.

I wanted to kiss the top of his head right there. Across from us Trish was perched on Jack's shoulders giggling and pulling his hair. Jack looked like he was ready to throw her off him and across the pool.

"Ready?" Riker asked. Then in a low voice to me, "The key is to stay steady."

Jack nodded and we waddled over to the middle of the pool. Austin who was treading over by the side said, "Ready, set, go."

Trish and I stretched our arms out to each other, pushing and shoving. She couldn't stop giggling and when I gave her one strong push, she fell backwards.

Riker and I burst out laughing and high fived each other, when Jack and Trish resurfaced, Jack glared at her, "I told you to hold on tight."

"I was!" She splashed him in the face.

Riker said "Ally?"

I said, "Hmm?" I was getting comfortable, up there on his shoulders.

"Watch out," Then he lurched forward, and I was flying into the water. I couldn't stop laughing.

When both of our heads popped up, I went straight for his and gave him a good dunk.

Then Trish said, "Let's play again. I'll be with Jeremy and Ally you can be with Jack."

Jack still looked grumpy. "Aus, take my spot."

"All right," Austin said, but his voice said he didn't want to.

When he swam over to me, I said defensively, "I'm not that heavy,"

"I never said you were," Then he stopped in front of me and I climbed on his shoulders. His shoulders were more muscular than Riker's, more weighty. "You okay up there?"

"Yeah."

Across from us Trish was having trouble getting on Riker's shoulders. She kept slipping right off and laughing. They were having a lot of fun. Too much fun. I watched them jealously, and I almost forgot to be aware that Austin was holding on to my legs, as far as I could remember, he had never so much as accidently grazed my knee before.

"Let's hurry up and play," I said, my voice sounding jealous to my own ears. I hated that.

Austin had less trouble getting to the middle of the pool. "Ready?" he said to Riker and Trish, who finally managed to stay still.

"Yes!" Trish shouted.

In my head, I said, _you're going down De la Rosa. _"Yes," I said out loud.

I leaned forward to give her a hard push. "Hey!" she said.

I smiled, "Hey," I pushed her again. She narrowed her eyes and pushed me back hard, but not hard enough. Then we were pushing and shoving at each other, only this time it was easier because I felt steadier. I pushed her once, firmly, and she fell forward, but Riker still standing. I clapped loudly. This game was fun.

I was surprised when Austin held out his hand for a high-five. He wasn't a high-five person.

When Trish resurfaced she wasn't laughing, her black hair clung to her face and she frowned. "This game sucks, I don't want to play anymore."

"Sore loser," I laughed, and Austin lowered me into the water.

"Nice job," he said, giving me his winning smile. I felt like I had won the lottery with that smile.

"I play to win," I told him. I knew he did too.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey! I got a couple reviews saying I was copying. I said in Chapter One, that it was basically word for word of Jenny Han's story. And I can't tell you if Austin or Ally are gonna end up together, but it is in the Austin and Ally tag, so ;0 you'll have to keep reading. But there will be some Ally and Riker, I don't own anything. This chapter is a little Riker/Ally, but this is an Auslly story so don't stop reading.**

**Chapter Twelve**

A few days after we shared Twizzlers at the movies, Riker announced, "I'm gonna teach Ally how to drive stick shift today,"

"You mean it?" I said eagerly. It was clearer, the sun had come out and it was a perfect day for driving. It was Riker's day off work, and I couldn't believe he was willing to spend it teaching me how to drive stick. I'd been begging him since last year to teach me, Jack had tried and gave up after our third lesson.

Jack shook his head, "Do you want to die? Because Ally will kill you both, not to mention your clutch. Don't do it, I'm telling you as your friend."

"Shut up Jack!" I yelled at kicked him under the table. "Just because you're a horrible teacher…" Jack had refused to get in a car with me again after I'd accidently got a teeny-tiny dent in his car when he was teaching me how to parallel park.

"I'm confident in my teaching skills," Riker said. "By the time I'm finished with her, she'll be better than you'

Jack snorted. "Good luck." Then he frowned. "How long are you going to be gone? I thought we were going to the driving range."

"You could come with us," I offered.

Jack ignored me and said to Riker, "You need to practice your swing, dude."

I glanced at Riker, who looked at me and hesitated. "I'll be back by lunch. We can go after."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Fine." I could tell he was a bit hurt, which made me feel smug and sorry for him. He wasn't used to being left out the way I was.

We went out to practice on the road that led to the other side of the beach. It was a quiet road, there was nobody else out there but us.

"It's hot when a girl can drive stick," Riker explained. "It shows she knows what she's doing and she's confident."

I put the car into first gear and eased my foot off the clutch. "I thought boys liked it when girls were helpless."

"They like that too. But I happen to like smart, confident girls."

"Bull. You liked Trish, and she's not like that."

He groaned. "Do you have to bring that up again?"

"I'm just saying, she wasn't that smart or confident."

"Maybe not, but she knew what she was doing," he said, before exploding into laughter.

I hit him on the arm hard. "You're so gross," I said. "And a liar, I know for a fact you didn't even get to second."

He stopped laughing. "Okay fine. We didn't. But she was a good kisser. She tasted like Skittles."

Trish loved Skittles; she was always popping them in her mouth like vitamins. I wondered how I sacked up against her, if he thought I was a good kisser too.

I sneaked a peak at him, he must have seen it on my face, because he laughed and said, "But you were the best, Als,"

I punched him on the arm, and even then he didn't stop laughing, he just laughed harder. "Don't take your foot off the clutch," he said with laughter.

I was surprised he even remembered. I mean it had been memorable for me, but it had been my first kiss and it had been _Riker_. But the fact that he remembered, that made his laughing okay.

"You were my first kiss," I said. I felt like I could say anything to him in that moment. It felt like how it used to be between us before we grew up. It felt easy and normal.

He looked away, embarrassed. "Yeah, I know."

"How did you know?" I demanded. Had I been that horrible that he suspected?

"Um, Trish told me. Afterwards."

"What! I can't believe she did that. That jerk!" I almost stopped the car. I could believe it, but it still felt like betrayal.

"It's no big deal." But his cheeks were patchy and pink. "I mean, the first time I kissed a girl it was a joke. She kept telling me I was doing it wrong."

"Who? Who was your first kiss?"

"You don't know her. It doesn't matter."

"Come on," I wheeled. "Tell me."

We stalled out then, and Riker said "Just put your foot on the clutch and put it in neutral."

"Not until you tell me."

"Fine. It was Christi Turnduck," he said, ducking his head.

"You kissed Turnducken?" Now I was laughing. I did so know her; she used to live here year round.

"She had a big crush on me," Riker said shrugging his shoulders.

"Did you tell Austin or Jack?"

"Hell no, I didn't tell them I kissed Turnducken!" He said. "And you better not either! Pinky promise."

I offered him my pinkie and we shook on it.

"Christi Turnduck. She did kiss nice; she taught me everything I know. I wonder what happened to her."

I wondered if Turnducken had been a better kisser than me too. She must have been, if she taught Riker.

We stalled out again. "This sucks. I quit."

"There's no quitting in driving," Riker ordered. "Come on." I sighed and started the car again. Two hours later, I had it. Sort of, I still stalled out, but I was getting somewhere. I was driving, Riker said I was a natural.

By the time we got back, Jack had already left, I guess he got tired of waiting and went to the driving range by himself. My mom and Mimi were watching movies in Mimi's room. It was dark and the curtains were drawn. I stood outside their door a minute, listening to them laugh. I felt left out, I envied their relationship. They were like copilots, in perfect balance. I didn't have that kind of friendship, the forever kind.

I walked into the room, and Mimi said, "Ally! Come watch movies with us!"

I crawled into bed between them. Lying on the bed in the semi-dark felt cozy. "Riker's been teaching me how to drive," I told them.

"Darling boy," Mimi said, smiling.

"Brave too," My mom teased.

I snuggled under the comforter, he was pretty great. It had been nice of him to take me out driving when nobody would. Just because I'd banged up the car a few times before, didn't mean that I wasn't going to end up being an excellent driver like everyone else. Thanks to him, I could drive stick now. I was going to be one of those confident girls, the kind that knows what she's doing. when I got my license I would drive up to visit Riker, to thank him.

Now you know who Riker kissed.(: the next chapter is gonna be a long one. I hope you liked this chapter, review please!


	13. Chapter 13

**Trish is back in this one! I don't own anything. Thank you for all the reviews! Long chapter ;) I'm sorry Austin hasn't been very present. This is an AUSLLY STORY, not Ally and Riker. There may be a Riker and Ally romance, but I swear it's an Auslly story. And people don't really like the flashbacks, but it's to give backgrounf. But it's all part of the story so…**

Chapter Thirteen

(_Age Fourteen)_

After Trish got out of the shower, she pulled three different dresses out and laid them on the bed. "Which one should I wear tonight?" She asked me. She asked the question like it was a test.

I was tired of her tests and having to prove myself all the time. I said, "We're just eating dinner. We're not going anywhere."

She shook her head at me. "We're going to the boardwalk tonight, remember? We have to look cute for that. There will be boys there. Let me pick your outfit out. Okay?"

It used to be like that when Trish picked out my clothes, like I was the nerdy girl transformed at prom, in a good way. Now it felt like I was her clueless mom who didn't know how to dress right.

I hadn't brought any dresses with me. In fact, I never had, never had thought to. I only had two dresses at home. One my grandma bought me for Easter and one I had to buy for eighth grade graduation.

"I'm not getting dressed up for the boardwalk," I told her.

"Let me just see what you have," she said walking over to my closet.

"Trish, I said no! This is what I'm wearing!" I gestured at my cut off shorts and Miami Beach t-shirt. Trish made a face, but she backed away from my closet and went back to her sundresses. "Fine, grumpy, have it your way. Now, which one should I wear?"

Dinner that night was scallops and asparagus. When my mom cooked it was always some kind of vegetable. Every time. Mimi only cooked every once in a while, so besides the first night which was always chili, you never knew what you were going to get. She spent the whole afternoon in the kitchen, making something I'd never had before. We kids were supposedly in charge of dinner once a week too. That night usually involved hamburgers or frozen pizza. But most nights we ate whatever we felt like eating. I loved that about the summer house.

Trish leaned forwards and said. "Penny, what's the wildest thing you and Mimi have ever done when you were our age?" Trish always talked to people like they were at a sleepover. Always.

My mom and Mimi looked at each other and smiled. They knew, but they weren't telling. My mom wiped her mouth and said, "We snuck onto the golf course one night and planted daisies."

I knew that wasn't the truth, but Riker and Jack laughed. Jack said in his annoying know-it-all voice. "Even when you guys were teenagers you were boring."

"I think it's really sweet," Trish said, squirting a glob of ketchup on her plate, she loved ketchup. She ate with anything.

Austin, who I thought hadn't been listening, said, "You guys are lying. That wasn't the craziest thing you ever did."

Mimi put her hands up in surrender. "Moms get to have secrets too." She said. "I don't ask you boys about your secrets, do I?"

"Yes, you do," Riker said. "You ask all the time. If I had a journal you would read it."

"No, I wouldn't," she protested.

My mother said, "Yes, you would."

Mimi glared at my mom. "I would never." Then she looked at Austin and Riker sitting next to each other. "Fine, I might, but only Austin's. He's so good at keeping everything locked inside. I never know what he's thinking. But you Riker, my baby boy, wear your heart right here." She touched his shirt sleeve.

"No, I don't" He protested. "I have secrets."

That's when Trish said, "Sure you do, Rikey," in this sickening sweet and flirtatious way.

He grinned at her, which made me want to choke on my asparagus. That's when I said. "Trish and I are going to boardwalk tonight. Will one of you guys drop us off?"

Before my mother or Mimi could say anything, Riker said, "Ooh, the boardwalk. I think we should go to the boardwalk too," Turning to Austin and Jack, he added. "Right guys?" Normally I would have been thrilled that any of them wanted to go somewhere I was going, but they weren't going for me.

I looked at Trish, who was suddenly busy cutting her scallops into bite sized pieces. She knew it was for her too.

"The boardwalk sucks," Jack said.

Austin said, "Not interested."

"Who invited you guys anyways?" I accused.

"Okay!" My mom said, "I'm going to the bookstore down town; I'll drop you guys off on the way."

"Thanks mom, it'll just be me and Trish."

Riker ignored me and turned to Austin and Jack again. "Come on guys," he said. "It'll be amazing." Trish had been calling everything amazing all day.

"Fine, but I'm going to the arcade." said Jack.

"Aus?" Riker looked at Austin, who shook his head.

'Come on, _Aus_," Trish said, poking him with her fork. "Come with us."

He shook his head annoyed, and Trish made a disgusted face. "Fine, we'll be sure to have lots of fun without you."

Then Riker said, "Don't worry about him. He's gonna have lots of fun hiding up in his room reading the Encyclopedia." Austin ignored him, and Trish giggled and tucked her hair behind her ears, the sign that told me that she liked Riker now.

Then Mimi said, "Don't leave without some money to buy ice cream," I could tell she was happy we were all hanging out, except for Austin, who seemed to prefer hanging out by himself that summer. Nothing made Mimi happier than thinking up activities for us to do, I think she would have made a really excellent camp director.

In the car we waited for my mother and the boys to come out, I whispered to Trish, "I thought you liked Austin."

Trish rolled her eyes. "Blah. He's boring. I think I'll like Rikey instead."

"You know his names Riker, right?"

"Of course I do," she snapped, and then she looked at me and her eyes widened. "Why, do you like him now?"

"No!"

She let out a humph of breath. "Ally, you've got to pick one of them. You can't have them both."

"I know that," I told her. "And anyways, I don't want any of them. It's not like they look at me any different than Jack does. I'm like their little sister."

Trish tugged at my t-shirt collar. "Well, maybe if you showed some cleavage…"

I shrugged her hand away. "I'm not showing any 'cleavage'. And I told you, I don't like either of them that way anymore."

"So you don't care that I'm going after Riker now?" she asked.

"Even if I told you I did, would it matter?"

"Probably. If you really, really cared. But then I would just go after Austin."

I sighed, at least she was honest.

"Go after him, I don't care." I told her.

Trish wiggled her eyebrows at me. "Yay! It is _so_ on,"

"Wait," I grabbed her wrist. "Promise you'll be nice to him."

"Of course I'll be nice to him. I'm always nice," she patted me on the shoulder. "You always worry too much Ally, I'm just here to have fun."

Then my mom and the boys came out, and for the first time ever Riker gave up shotgun without a fight, he gave it up to Jack easily.

When we got to the boardwalk, Jack headed to the arcade where he spent the whole night. Riker walked around with us, he even rode the carousel, even though he thought it was lame. Then Trish made him win her a stuffed Tweety Bird at the quarter toss. The Tweety Bird was huge, almost as tall as her, he carried it for her.

I should have never gone along, I felt like a third wheel. All the time I wished I was home listening to Austin play the guitar through the walls, or watching old movies with Mimi and my mom. I didn't even like old movies. I wondered if this was how the rest of the week was going to be. I'd forgotten about how when Trish wanted something, she got it. She'd just arrived and she had already forgotten about me.

"Truth or dare Riker," Trish asked.

"Dare," he said leaning against the couch.

"Okay. I dare you to kiss somebody in this room, right now." Trish looked at him, confident and waited.

It felt like the whole room was sitting on the edge while we waited for Riker to say something. Would he even do it? He was not the guy who passed up a dare, I, for one, was curious what kind of kisser he'd be. If he'd go for a French or give her a quick peck. I also wondered if it would be their first kiss, if he had kissed her sometime earlier in the week. I was pretty sure they had.

Riker sat up. "Easy," he said rubbing his hands together with a smile. Trish smiled and tilted her head to the side so her hair fell in her eyes a little.

Then he leaned over to me and said, "Ready?" before I could answer he kissed me right on the lips. His mouth was open a little but it wasn't a French kiss or anything. I tried to push him off, but he kept on kissing me for a few seconds.

I pushed him off again, and he leaned back. Everyone was sitting there with their mouths hanging open, except for Austin who didn't even look surprised. But then, he never looked surprised. I, on the other hand was finding it hard to breathe. I had just had my first kiss in front of people. I couldn't believe Riker had stolen my first kiss like that. I had been waiting, wanting it to be special, and it had happened during a game of truth or dare. How unspecial could you get? And to top all that off, he had only done it to make Trish jealous, not because he liked me.

It had worked. Her eyes were narrowed and she was just staring at Riker.

"Gross," Jack said. "This game is so gross. I'm outta here." He said and then he looked at us all disgustedly and left. I got up too and Austin. "See ya," I said. "And Riker, I'm getting back at you for that,"

It took me three seconds to realize that Trish wasn't coming after me she was inside listening to Riker's dumb jokes. In the hallway, Austin gave me is trademark know-it-all smile.

"You know you loved it."

I glared at him. "How would you know? You're too obsessed with yourself to notice anyone else."

He walked away from me and called over his shoulder. "Oh, I notice everything, Ally. Especially you."

"Screw you!" I said, because it was all I could think of. I walked in my bedroom and touched my lips. Riker's lips had touched mine; I wished Trish was here to talk about this with. But she was downstairs kissing the same boy who had just kissed me, I was sure of it.

The next morning, she was gone. I knew she was out watching the sunset with Riker, the last day here she had choose to wake up early. I was going out there to, whether she liked it or not.

I didn't see them at first, they were further down than I thought, they were kissing. Then I realized it wasn't even Riker…it was Jack.

They didn't hear me at first, but then I said loudly. "Wow, so first Austin, then Riker, and now my brother."

She turned around, surprised, and Jack looked surprised too. "Ally…" she started.

"Shut up." I looked at my brother then, and he squirmed. "You're a hypocrite. You don't even like her! You said she bleached out all her brain cells with her Sun-In!"

He cleared his throat. "I never said that" he stated, glancing back and forth between Trish and me. Her eyes had welled up, and she was wiping her left eye with the back of her sweatshirt sleeve. Jack's sweatshirt sleeve. I was too angry to cry.

"I'm telling Rikerr"

"Ally, just freakin' calm down. You're too old for your temper tantrums" Jack announced, shaking his head in his brotherly way. The words came out of me, hot and fast and sure.

"Go to hell." I had never talked like that to my brother before. I don't think I'd ever talked like that to anyone before. Jack blinked. That's when I started to walk away, and Trish chased after me. She had to run to catch up, that's how fast I was walking. I guess anger gives you speed.

"Ally, I'm so sorry," she began. "I was going to tell you. Things just happened really fast"

I stopped walking and spun around. "When? When did they happen? Because from what I saw, things were happening so fast with Riker, not with my older brother"

She shrugged helplessly, which only made me madder. Poor helpless little Trish. "I've always had a crush on Riker. You know that, Ally."

"Actually, I didn't. Thanks for telling me"

"When he liked me back, it was like, I couldn't believe it. I didn't think…"

"That's the thing. He doesn't like you. He's just using you because you're around," I told her. I knew it was cruel and I also knew that I didn't know if it was true. I walked into the house and left her standing outside. She chased after me and grabbed my arm, but I shrugged her off.

"Please don't be mad, Ally. I want things to stay the same with us forever" Trish said, blue eyes brimming with tears. What she really meant was I want you to stay the same forever while I grow bigger breasts and quit violin and kiss your brother.

"Things can't stay the same forever" I said. I was saying it to hurt her because I knew it would.

"Don't be mad at me, okay, Ally?" she pleaded. Trish hated it when people were mad at her.

"I'm not mad at you," I said. "I just don't think we really know each other anymore."

"Don't say that, Ally,"

"I'm only saying it because it's true"

She repeated herself again, "I'm sorry, okay?" I looked away for a second.

"You promised you'd be nice to him"

"Who? Jack?" Rosalie looked genuinely confused.

"No, Riker. You said you'd be nice"

She waved her hand in the air vaguely. "Oh, he doesn't care"

"Yeah, he does. It's just that you don't know him" Like I do, I wanted to add. "I didn't think you'd ever act so … so ..." I searched for the perfect word, to cut her the way she'd cut me. "Slutty."

"I'm not a slut," Trish said in a tiny voice. So this was my power over her, my supposed innocence over her supposed sluttiness. It was all such BS. I would've traded my spot for hers in a second.

Later, Riker asked me if I wanted to play spit. We hadn't played once all summer. It used to be our thing, our tradition. I was grateful to have it back… even if it was a consolation prize. He dealt me my hand, and we began to play, but both of us were just going through the motions. We had other things on our minds. I thought that we had this unspoken agreement not to talk about her, that maybe he didn't even know what had happened, but then he said, "I wish you never brought her"

"Me too" I murmured.

"It's better when it's just us" he said, shuffling his stack.

"Yeah" I agreed.

After Trish left, after that summer, things were the same and they weren't. She and I were still friends, but not best friends, not like we used to be. She'd known me my whole life and it's hard to throw away history like that. It was like you were throwing away a part of yourself. Jack though ironically did not go right back to ignoring Trish and obsessing over girls. He started to really date Trish and we all just pretended like none of the drama at the summer house had ever happened. But it did and it stayed ingrained in us all.


	14. Chapter 14

**Here's chapter 14! I'm soooooo sorry it took so long, my great uncle passed away and it was my dad's birthday and school and BLECH! I don't own anything! There is some protective!Austin and jelaous!Austin in this! And a lot of angst**

The night Jack left, I headed down to the pool for one of my midnight swims, and Austin and Riker and this neighbor guy Clay were sitting on the lounge chairs. Riker and Austin were drinking beer. Clay lived way down the street, and he'd been coming to Jacksonville for almost as long as we had.

He was a year older than Austin. No one had even liked him much. He was just a person to hang out with, I guess. Right away I stiffened and held my beach towel closer to my chest. I wondered if I should turn back. Clay had always made me nervous. I didn't have to swim that night and I could do it the next night.

But no, I had as much right to be out there as they did. More, even. I walked over to them, pretending to bevconfident.

"Hey, guys" I said. I didn't let go of my towel. It felt funny to be standing there in a towel and a bikini when they were all wearing clothes. Clay looked up at me, his eyes narrow.

"Hey, Ally. Long time no see," He patted the lounge chair. "Sit down"

I hated when people said long time no see. It was such a dumb way to say hello. But I sat down anyway. He leaned in and gave me a hug. He smelled like beer and Axe.

"So how've you been?" he asked. Before I could answer however, Austin spoke for me.

"She's fine, and now it's time for bed. Good night, Ally"

I tried not to sound like a five-year-old when I said, "I'm not going to sleep yet, I'm swimming"

"You should head back up," Riker said as he added his two cents, "Your mom will kill you for drinking"

"Hello. I'm not drinking and neither are you!" I reminded him. Clay offered me his Corona.

"Here," he said, winking. He seemed drunk and I hesitated.

"Don't give her that. She's a kid, for God's sake" Austin snapped irritably.

I glared at him. "Quit acting like Jack." For a second or two I considered taking Clay's beer. It would be my first. But then I'd only be doing it to spite Austin, and I wasn't going to let him control what I did.

"No, thanks," I told him. Austin nodded as though I had needed his permission to drink.

"Now go back to bed like a good girl" Austin stated patronizingly. It felt just like when he and Jack and Riker used to leave me out of things on purpose. I could feel my cheeks burning as I retorted, "I'm only two years younger than you"

"Two and a quarter," he corrected automatically. Clay laughed, and I could smell his yeasty breath.

"Shit, my girlfriend Megan was fifteen" Then he looked at me, "Ex-girlfriend."

I smiled weakly but on the inside, I was shrinking away from him and his breath. But the way Austin was watching us, well, I liked it. I liked taking his friend away from him, even if it was just for five minutes.

"Isn't that, like, illegal?" I asked Clay. He laughed again.

"You're cute, Ally" Clay answered. I could feel myself blush.

"So, um, why did you break up?" I asked, like I didn't already know. They broke up because Clay's a jerk that was why. Clay had always been a jerk. He used to try to feed the seagulls Alka-Seltzer because he heard it made their stomachs blow up. Clay scratched the back of his neck.

"I don't know. She had to go to horse camp or something. Long distance relationships are shit"

"But it would just be for the summer" I protested, "It's dumb to break up over a summer"

I'd nursed a crush on Austin for whole school years. I could survive for months, years, on a crush. It was like food. It could sustain me. If Austin was mine, there was no way I'd break up with him over a summer—or a school year, for that matter.

"So, Ally, are you gonna come to my bonfire tomorrow night?" he asked me.

"Um, sure," I said, trying not to sound too excited. Austin and Jack and Riker went to the big Fourth of July bonfire every year. Clay had it at his house because there were a ton of fireworks on that end of the beach. His mom always put out stuff for s'mores. I once made Riker bring one back for me, and he did. It was rubbery and burnt, but I still ate it, and I was still grateful to Riker for it. It was like a little piece of the party. They never let me go with them, and I never tried to make them. I watched the show from our back porch, in my pajamas, with Mimi and my mother. They drank champagne and I drank sparkling apple cider.

"I thought you came down here to swim," Austin said abruptly.

"Geez, give her a break, Aus," Riker laughed. "If she wants to swim, she'll swim"

We exchanged a look that meant 'Why is Austin acting like a dad?'

"Do what you want," he replied annoyed.

"I will," I said, sticking my tongue out at Austin and standing up. I threw off my towel and dove into the water, a perfect swan dive. I stayed underwater for a minute. Then I started doing the backstroke so I could eavesdrop on their conversation. In a low voice I heard Clay say, "Man, Miami is starting to get old. I want to hurry up and get back."

"Yeah, me too," Austin replied.

So Austin was ready to leave. Even though a little part of me knew that already, it still hurt. I wanted to say, Then leave already. If you don't want to be here, don't be here. Just leave. But I wasn't going to let Austin bother me, not when things were finally looking up. At last I was invited to Clay's Fourth of July bonfire. I was one of the big kids now. Life was good. Or it was getting there, anyway.

I thought about what I was going to wear all day. Since I'd never been, I had no idea what to wear. Probably it would get cold, but who wanted to bundle up at a bonfire? Not for my first one. I also didn't want Riker and Austin to give me a hard time if I was too dressed up. I figured shorts, a tank top, and no shoes were the safe way to go.

When we got there, I saw that I had chosen wrong. The other girls were wearing sundresses and skirts and Uggs. If I'd had girl friends at Miami, I might have known that. "You didn't tell me that girls got dressed up," I hissed at Riker.

"You look fine. Don't be dumb," he said walking away after sending me a wink. I looked around and saw there was a keg. There were no graham crackers or marshmallows anywhere I could see. I'd actually never seen a keg before in real life. Just in movies. I started to walk away, but Austin grabbed my arm.

"Don't drink tonight," he warned, "My mom will kill me if I let you drink"

I shook him off. "You're not letting me do anything."

"Come on. Please?"

"We'll see," I said, walking away from him and toward the fire. I wasn't sure if I even wanted to drink. Even though I'd seen Clay drinking the night before, I'd still been expecting s'mores. Going to the bonfire was nice in theory, but actually being there was something else. Riker was chatting up some girl in a red, white, and blue bikini top and a jean skirt, and Austin was talking to Clay and some other guys I didn't recognize. I thought after the way Clay had been flirty last night, he might at least come over to say hi. But he didn't. He had his hand on some girl's back.

I stood by the fire alone and pretended to warm my hands even though they weren't cold. That's when I saw him. He was standing alone too, drinking a bottle of water. It didn't seem like he knew anybody either, since he was standing all by himself. He looked like he was my age. But there was something about him that seemed safe and comfortable, like he was younger than me even though he wasn't. It took me a few glances to figure out what it was. When I finally figured it out, it was like, Aha!

It was his eyelashes. They were so long they practically hit his cheekbones. Granted, his cheekbones were high, but still. Also, he had a slight underbite, and his skin was clear and smooth, the color of cocoa powder. I touched my cheek and felt relieved that the sun had dried out the pimple from two days before. His skin was perfect. To my eyes, everything about him was pretty perfect.

He was tall, taller than Riker or Jack, maybe even Austin. He was so pretty I felt like I could draw his face, and I didn't even know how to draw. He caught me looking at him, and I looked away. Then I looked back over and he caught me again. He raised his hand and waved it, just slightly. I could feel my cheeks flaming. There was nothing for me to say but, "Hi"

I walked over, stuck out my hand, and immediately regretted it. Who shook hands anymore? But he didn't seem to mind as he took my hand and shook it. He didn't say anything at first. He just stared at me, like he was trying to figure something out. "You look familiar," he said at last.

I tried not to smile. Wasn't that what boys said to girls when they came on to them at bars? I wondered if he'd seen me on the beach in my new polka-dot bikini. I'd only had the nerve to wear it the one time, but maybe that was what had gotten me noticed by this guy. "Maybe you've seen me on the beach?"

But he shook his head. "No...That's not it"

So it hadn't been the bikini, then. I tried again. "Maybe over at Scoops, the ice cream place?"

"No, that's not it either" he answered. Then it was like the little light went on in his head, because he grinned suddenly. "Did you take Latin?"

What in the world? "Um… yes"

"Did you ever go to Latin Convention in Washington, DC?" he asked.

"Yes" I said. Who was this boy anyway?

He nodded, satisfied. "So did I. In eighth grade, right?"

"Yeah…" In eighth grade I had a retainer and I still wore glasses. I hated that he knew me from back then. Why couldn't he know me from now, in my polka-dot bikini?

"That's how I know you. I've been standing here trying to figure it out." He grinned. "I'm Dallas, but my Latin name was Sextus. Salve"

Suddenly giggles rose up in my chest like soda bubbles. It was kind of funny. "Salve. I'm Flavia. I mean, Ally. My name is Allyson, but everyone calls me Ally"

"Anyway, I hate the name Allyson, but I do wish people called me Als. It's prettier"

He nodded. "I see"

I decided to change the subject. "So do you stay in a house around here?"

"We're renting the house two blocks down. My mom sort of made me come," Dallas said, rubbing the top of his head self-consciously. "What about you? Why'd you come, Als?"

I was startled when he used that nickname. It just rolled right off his tongue. It felt like the first day of school. But I liked it. "I don't know," I said. "I guess because Clay invited me"

Everything that came out of my mouth sounded so generic. For some reason I wanted to impress this boy. I wanted him to like me. I could feel him judging me, judging the dumb things I said. I'm smart too, I wanted to tell him. I told myself it was fine, it didn't matter if he thought I was smart or not.

But it did.

"I think I'm going to leave soon," he said, finishing his water. He didn't look at me when he said, "Do you need a ride?"

"No," I said. I tried to swallow my disappointment that he was leaving already. "I came with those guys over there" I pointed at Austin and Riker.

"I figured, the way your brother kept looking over here" Dallas stated as he nodded in agreement. I almost choked.

"My brother? Who? Him?" I asked as I pointed at Austin. He wasn't looking at us. He was looking at a brunette girl in a Red Sox cap, and she was looking right back. He was laughing, and he never laughed.

"Yeah"

"He's not my brother. He tries to act like he is, but he's not," I said. "He thinks he's everybody's big brother. It's so patronizing… Why are you leaving already anyway? You're gonna miss the fireworks"

He cleared his throat like he was embarrassed. "Um, I was actually gonna go home and study"

"Latin?" I covered my mouth with my hand to keep from giggling.

"No. I'm studying whales. I want to intern on a whale watching boat, and I have to take this whaling exam next month" he said, rubbing the top of his head again.

"Oh. That's cool" I said. I wished he wasn't leaving already. I didn't want him to go. He was nice. Standing next to him, I felt like Thumbelina, little and precious. He was that tall. If he left, I'd be all alone.

"You know what, maybe I will get a ride. Wait here. I'll be right back" I hurried over to Austin, walking so fast I kicked up sand behind me.

"Hey, I'm gonna get a ride" I said breathlessly. The brunette Red Sox girl looked me up and down.

"Hello" she said.

"With who?" Austin asked. I pointed at Dallas.

"Him"

"You're not riding with someone you don't even know"Austin said flatly.

"I do so know him. He's Sextus!"

Austin narrowed his eyes. "Sex what?"

"Never mind. His name is Dallas, he's studying whales, and you don't get to decide who I ride home with. I was just letting you know, as a courtesy. I wasn't asking for your permission" I started to walk away, but he grabbed my elbow.

"I don't care what he's studying. It's not gonna happen" he said casually but his grip was tight, "If you want to go, I'll take you"

I took a deep breath. I had to keep cool. I wasn't going to let him goad me into being a baby, not in front of all these people. "No, thanks" I replied, trying to walk away again. But he didn't let go. I wanted so badly to throw a handful of sand in his face. I tried to twist out of his grip.

"Let go of me! That hurts!" I exclaimed. Austin let go immediately, his face red. It didn't really hurt, but I wanted to embarrass him the way he was embarrassing me.

I announced rather loudly, "I'd rather ride with a stranger than with someone who's been drinking!"

"I've had one beer," he snapped. "I weigh a hundred and seventy-five pounds. Wait half an hour and I'll take you. Stop being such a brat"

I could feel tears starting to spark my eyelids. I looked over my shoulder to see if Dallas was watching. He was... just my luck….

"You're an asshole" I told Austin as I tried to hurt him the way he was embarrassing me.

He looked me dead in the eyes and retorted, "And you're a four-year-old"

As I walked away, I heard the girl ask, "Is she your girlfriend?"

I whirled around, and we both said "No!" at the same time.

Confused, she asked "Well, is she your little sister?" Like I wasn't standing right there. Her perfume was heavy. It felt like it filled all the air around us, like we were breathing her in.

"No, I'm not his little sister" I hated this girl for being a witness to all this. It was humiliating. And she was flawlesss, in the same kind of way Trish was pretty, which somehow made things worse. Austin was the one who answered but when he didn't, I wished he hadn't said anything.

"Her mom is best friends with my mom" So that was all I was to him? His mom's friend's daughter?

I took a deep breath, and without even thinking, I said to the girl, "I've known Austin my whole life. So let me be the one to tell you you're barking up the wrong tree. Austin will never love anyone as much as he loves himself, if you know what I mean…" I lifted up my hand and wiggled my fingers.

"Shut up, Ally" Austin warned. The tops of his ears were turning bright red. It was a low blow, but I didn't care. He deserved it.

Red Sox girl frowned. "What is she talking about, Austin?"

To her I blurted out, "Oh, I'm sorry, do you not know what the idiom barking up the wrong tree means?"

Her pretty face twisted. "You little skank," she hissed. I could feel myself shrinking. I wished I could take it back. I'd never gotten into a fight with a girl before, or with anyone for that matter. Thankfully, Austin broke in then and pointed to the bonfire.

"Ally, go back over there, and wait for me to come get you" he said harshly.

That's when Riker ambled over. "Hey, hey, what's going on?" he asked, smiling in his easy, goofy way.

"Your brother is a jerk," I told him, "That's what's going on" Riker put his arm around me.

"You guys play nice, you hear?" he laughed and I leaned into him.

"I am playing nice. Tell your brother to play nice"

"Wait, are you guys brother and sister too?" the girl asked.

Austin said, "Don't even think about leaving with that guy"

"Aus, chill out," Riker told him, "She's not leaving. Right, Ally?" He looked at me, and I pursed my lips and nodded. Then I gave Austin the dirtiest look I could muster, and I shot one at the girl, too but only when I was far enough away that she wouldn't be able to reach out and grab me by the hair.

I walked back to the bonfire, trying to keep my shoulders straight and high, when inside I felt like a kid who'd gotten yelled at her own birthday party. It wasn't fair, to be treated like I was a kid when I wasn't. I bet me and that girl were the same age.

"What was that all about?" Dallas asked. I was choking back tears as I answered him.

"Let's just go" I told him. But he hesitated, glancing back over at Austin.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Als but I'll stay here with you and hang out for a while. The whales can wait"

I wanted to kiss him then. I wanted to forget I ever knew Austin and just be there, existing in the bubble of that moment. The first firework went off, somewhere high above us. It sounded like a teakettle whistling loud and proud. It was gold, and it exploded into millions of gold flecks, like confetti over our heads.

We sat by the fire and he told me about whales and I told him about stupid things, like being secretary of French Club, and how my favorite food was pulled pork sandwiches. He said he was a vegetarian. We must have sat there for an hour. I could feel Austin watching us the whole time, and I was so tempted to give him the finger… I hated it when he won.

When it started to get cold, I rubbed my arms, and Dallas took off his hoodie and gave it to me. It was sort of my dream come true… getting cold and having a guy actually give you his hoodie instead of gloating over how smart he'd been to bring one.

I wanted Dallas to think I was cool, like the kind of girl who didn't care what people thought, the kind of person he obviously was. I wanted to be his friend. I also wanted to kiss him. Dallas left when we left. He got up as soon as he saw Riker coming over to get me.

"So long, Als" he said.

I started to unzip his hoodie, but he stopped me.

"That's all right. You can give it to me later" Dallas stated.

"Here, I'll give you my number," I told him, holding my hand out for his phone. I'd never given a boy my phone number before. As I punched in my number, I felt really proud of myself for offering it to him. Backing away, he put the phone into his pocket and smiled.

"I would have found a way to get it back without your number. I'm smart, remember? First prize in oration"

I tried not to smile as he walked away. "You're not that smart" I called out. It felt like fate that we'd met. It felt like the most romantic thing that had ever happened to me, and it was. I watched Austin say good-bye to Red Sox girl. She gave him a hug, and he hugged her back, but not really. I was glad I had ruined his night, if only a little bit.

On the way to the car a girl stopped me. She wore her blonde hair in two pigtails, and she had on a pink low-cut shirt. "Do you like Dallas?" the girl asked me casually. I wondered how she knew him… I thought he'd been a nobody just like me.

"I barely even know him," I told her, and her face relaxed. She was relieved. I recognized that look in her eyes – dreamy and hopeful. It must have been the way I looked when I used to talk about Austin, used to try to think of ways to insert his name into conversation. It made me sad for her, for me.

"I saw the way Kira talked to you" she said abruptly, "Don't worry about her. She sucks as a person"

"Red Sox girl? Yeah, she kind of does suck at being a person" I agreed. Then I waved good-bye to her as Riker and Austin and I made our way to the car.

Austin drove. He was completely sober, and I knew he had been all along. He checked out Dallas's hoodie, but he didn't say anything. We didn't speak to each other once. Riker and I both sat in the backseat, and he tried to joke around, but nobody laughed. I was too busy thinking, remembering everything that had happened that night. I thought to myself "That might have been the best night of my life."

In my yearbook the year before, Trent Jackson wrote that I had "eyes so clear" he could "see right into my soul." Trent was a drama geek, but so what. It still made me feel good. Trish snickered when I showed it to her. She said only Trent would notice the color of my eyes when the rest of the guys were too busy looking at my chest. But this wasn't Trent. This was Dallas, a real guy who had noticed me even before I was pretty.

I was brushing my teeth in the upstairs bathroom when Riker came in, shutting the door behind him.

"What's going on with you and Aus? Why are you guys so mad at each other?" Riker asked as he reached for his toothbrush before hopping up onto the sink. Riker hated it when people fought. It was part of why he always played the clown. He took it upon himself to bring levity to any situation. It was sweet but also kind of annoying. Through a mouthful of toothpaste I answered him.

"Um, because he's a self-righteous neo-maxi-zoom-dweebie?"

We both laughed at that. It was one of our little inside jokes, a line from The Breakfast Club that we spent repeating to each other the summer I was eight and he was nine. Riker cleared his throat.

"Seriously, though, don't be so hard on him. He's going through some stuff"

This was news to me. "What? What stuff?" I demanded.

Riker hesitated. "It's not up to me to tell you"

"Come on. We tell each other everything, Rik. No secrets, remember?"

He smiled. "I remember. But I still can't tell you. It's not my secret"

Frowning, I turned the faucet on and said, "You always take his side"

"I'm not taking his side. I'm just telling his side"

"Same thing"

He reached out and turned the corners of my mouth up. It was one of his oldest tricks; no matter what, it made me smile.

"No pouting, Als, remember?" and I had the sudden urge to punch him on the arm and hug him at the same time.

No Pouting was a rule Austin and Jack had made up one summer. I think I was eight or nine. The thing was that it only applied to me. The boys even put a sign up on my bedroom door. I tore it down, of course, and I ran and told Mimi and my mom. That night I got seconds on dessert, I remember. Anytime I acted the slightest bit sad or unhappy, one of the boys would start yelling, "No pouting! No pouting!" And, okay, maybe I did pout a lot, but it was the only way I could ever get my way. In some ways it was even harder being the only girl back then. In some ways not.


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you guys for the reviews! It means a lot. I don't own anything!**

That night I slept in Dallas's hoodie. It was stupid and kind of sappy, but I didn't care. And the next day I wore it outside, even though it was extremely hot. I loved how the hoodie felt like a boy's. Dallas was the first boy to ever pay attention to me like that, to be up front about the fact that he actually wanted to hang out with me. And not be, like, embarrassed about it. He was so different from all the other boys I knew, he was so… confident. Dallas knew what he wanted and he knew how he should get it. I could bet that he had never felt insecure before…

When I woke up the next morning, I realized that I had given Dallas the house number. I didn't know why. I could have given him my cell phone number just as easily but I guessed it was because I was so excited to have a reason to give my number out, I panicked. All day, I kept waiting for the phone to ring which would be a first because the phone never rang at the summer house. The only people who ever called the house phone were Mimi, who would be trying to figure out what we wanted for dinner, or my mother, who would be calling to tell us to do some chore.

I sat on the deck, sunning and reading magazines with Dallas's hoodie balled up in my lap like a stuffed animal. Since we kept the windows open, I knew I'd hear if the phone rang. I also set myself up with a little station of cherry Kool-Aid in an old water bottle, plus a radio, plus sunglasses, and magazines so I wouldn't be bored. The sunglasses were a pair that Mimi had bought me years ago. Mimi loved to buy presents; she felt happiest when she was making someone else happy. When she went off for errands, she'd come home with presents. They would be little things, like this pair of red sunglasses she said I just had to have or the cards that the boys needed to play with. She knew just what I'd love, things I wouldn't even think of myself.

My mom and Mimi had left early that morning for one of their art gallery trips to downtown, and Austin had left for work already. Riker was still asleep so the house was mine. The idea of waiting for Dallas's phone call seemed good in theory. Laying out, soaking up sun and drinking Kool Aid while listening for the phone. But then the actual act of it is kind of tedious and boring. And hot. I would always rather be floating in an ocean.

But that morning I had no choice. In case Dallas called, I mean. So I lay there, sweating and sizzling like a piece of chicken on a grill. It was boring, but it was a necessity. Just after ten, the phone rang. I sprang up and ran into the kitchen.

"Hello?" I said breathlessly.

"Hello Allyson. It's Mr. Moon."

"Oh, hi, Mr. Moon," I said as I tried not to sound too disappointed. He cleared his throat.

"So, how's it going down there? Are you all having fun?"

"It's pretty good. Mimi's not home, though. She and my mom went to downtown to visit some galleries"

"I see... How are the boys?" Mr. Moon asked.

"Good..." I never knew what to say to Mr. Moon, "Austin's at work and Riker's still asleep. Do you want me to wake him up?"

"No, no! That's all right..." There was this long pause, and I scrambled to think of something to say so I wouldn't feel so awkward.

"Are you um coming to visit this weekend?" I asked.

"No, not this weekend" Mr. Moon answered. His voice sounded really far away and slightly sad. "I'll just call back later. You have fun, Ally"

I hung up the phone surprised for two reasons. The first was that Mr. Moon hadn't been down to Miami yet. He normally came the weekend after the Fourth of July, because it was easier getting away from work after the holiday. I wondered if Mimi would be sad he wasn't coming or if the boys would even care.

The second reason I was surprised was that he called me Ally. Mr. Cullen never calls me Ally. He always said that a beautiful girl such as me should be called Allyson but never Ally. I never believed him and always thought it was because he was too stubborn or stuck up to refuse to call me Ally. I wondered what was bothering Mr. Moon so much as to forget his stubbornness and call me Ally.

I trudged back to my lounge chair, back to the sun. I fell asleep on my lounge chair, and I woke up to Riker sprinkling Kool-Aid onto my stomach.

"What are you doing? Stop!" I moaned grouchily as I sat up. Riker just laughed and sat down on my lounge chair.

"Is this what you're doing all day?" he asked.

"Yes" I told him, wiping off my stomach and then wiping my hand on his shorts.

"Don't be boring. Come do something with me!" Riker ordered, "I don't have to work until tonight"

"I'm working on my tan" I told him. Not really but I wasn't going to tell Riker that I was waiting for Dallas's call.

"You're never going to tan!" Riker winked.

"Will you let me drive?" I asked bargaining. He hesitated.

"Fine," Jasper finally replied, "BUT you have to rinse off first! I don't want you getting my seat all oily"

"I'll go right now. Just wait!" I exclaimed excitedly. Riker waited for me in the car, with the AC on full blast, in the passenger seat.

"Where are we going?" I asked, getting into the driver's seat. I felt like I had been driving forever. "We have to drive far so I can get enough practice!" Riker simply closed his eyes and laid his head back.

"Just take a right out of the driveway," he told me.

"Yes boss!" I exclaimed, turning off the AC and opening all four windows. It was so much better driving with the windows down. It felt like you were actually going somewhere. He continued giving me directions, and then we pulled up to Speed Racers.

"Are you serious?" I asked amusedly. Speed Racers was the only go kart place in Jacksonville.

"We're gonna get you some driving practice" Riker told me, grinning like crazy. I smiled and shook my head. Oh Riker…. We waited in line for the cars, and when it was our turn, the guy told me to get in the blue one.

"Can I drive the purple one instead?" I asked.

He winked at me and said, "You're so pretty, I'd let you drive my car." I could feel myself blush, but I liked it. The guy was older than me, and he was actually paying me attention. It was kind of amazing. I'd seen him there the summer before, and he hadn't looked at me once.

Getting into the car next to me, Riker muttered, "What a freaking idiot. He needs to get a real job"

"Like lifeguarding is a real job?" I asked Riker teasingly.

But Riker did not smile, he scowled.

"Just drive" he told me. Every time my car came back around the track, the guy waved at me. The third time he did it, I waved back. We rode around the track a bunch of times, until it was time for Riker to go to work.

"I think you've had enough driving for today" Riker said, "I'll drive us home."

I didn't argue with him because I was tired. Riker drove home fast, and dropped me off at the curb and headed to work. I stepped back into the house feeling very tired but also satisfied.

"Someone named Dallas called for you" My mom announced as soon as I walked into the kitchen. She was sitting at the table, reading the paper with her horn-rimmed reading glasses on, not even looking up.

"He did?" I asked, covering my smile with the back of my hand because I didn't want her to know how happy I was. "Did he leave a number?"

"No" She answered distractedly, "He said he'd call back. Did you read about the bank robbery today?"

"Why didn't you ask for it?" I asked ignoring her question. I hated the whininess in my voice, but when it came to my mom, it was like I couldn't help it. It was at this point when my mom looked at me, perplexed.

"I don't know... He wasn't offering it. Who is he anyway?"

"Forget it," I told her, walking over to the refrigerator for some lemonade.

"Whatever you want…" My mom said, going back to her paper. She didn't press the issue… she never did. The least she could have done was have gotten his number. If Mimi had been down here instead of her, she would have been singsongy and she would have teased and snooped until I told her everything…. which I would have, gladly.

"Mr. Moon called this morning," I told her, pouting. My mom looked up again but quicker this time.

"What did he say? What did he ask?" My mom pressed. I frowned.

"Nothing much. Just that he can't come this weekend" I told her confusedly. Why did she care so much? I waited for her answer but all my mom did was purse her lips and she didn't say anything else.

"Where's Mimi?" I asked, changing the subject. "Is she in her room?"

"Yes, but she doesn't feel well. She's taking a nap" She answered. In other words, Don't go up and bother her.

"What's wrong with her?" I asked.

"She has a summer cold" my mom said automatically.

My mom was a terrible liar. Mimi had been spending a lot of time in her room, and there was a sadness to her that hadn't been there before. I knew something was up. Maybe it was whatever was bothering Mr. Moon. Maybe it was how Austin was acting this summer. I just wasn't completely sure what it was…


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey, I had to go to two funerals yesterday, so that is why I didn't post. I hope you enjoy this chapter, I don't own anything.**

Dallas called again the next night, and the night after that. We talked on the phone twice before we met up again, for, like, four or five hours at a time. When we talked, I laughed so hard that Riker yelled out his window for me to keep it down. We talked about everything, and I loved it, but the whole time I wondered when he was going to ask to see me again. He didn't.

So I had to take matters into my own hands. I invited Dallas to come over and play video games and maybe swim. I felt kind of strange calling him up and inviting him over but I was only doing it because I knew no one was going to be at home. I didn't want Riker or Austin or my mother or even Mimi to see him just yet. For now, he was just mine. "I'm a really good swimmer, so don't be mad when we race and I beat you," I said over the phone.

He laughed and said, "At freestyle?"

"At any style."

"Why do you like to win so much?" he asked quietly and I didn't have an answer for that except to say that winning was fun. I always felt so childish in front of Dallas and I really didn't know why. The way I acted was all due to the boys. Growing up with Jack and spending my summers with Riker and Austin, winning was always important, and doubly so because I was a girl and was never expected to win anything.

Victory is a thousand times sweeter when you're the underdog.

Dallas came over, and I watched from my bedroom window as he drove up. His car was navy blue and old and beat-up looking, like his hoodie that I was already planning on keeping. It looked like exactly the kind of car he'd drive. He rang the doorbell, and I flew down the stairs to open the door.

"Hi" I said.

"You're wearing my hoodie" he said, smiling down at me. He was even taller than I'd remembered.

"You know, I was thinking that I want to keep it," I told him, letting him in and closing the door behind me. "But I don't expect to get it for free. I'll race you for it"

"But if we race, you can't be mad if I beat you," Dallas said, smiling. "It's my favorite hoodie, and if I win, I'm taking it"

"No problem," I told him.

We went out to the pool through the back screen door, down the porch steps. I threw off my shorts and T-shirt and his hoodie quickly, without even thinking – Riker and I raced all the time in the pool. It didn't occur to me to be self-conscious to be in a bikini in front of Dallas. After all, we spent the whole summer in bathing suits in that house. But he looked away quickly and took off his T-shirt.

"Ready?" he said, standing by the edge.

I walked over next to him. "One full lap?" I asked, dipping my toe into the water.

"Sure," he said. "You want a head start?"

I snorted. "Do you want a head start?"

"Touché," he said, grinning.

I'd never heard a boy say Touché before. Or anyone else, for that matter. Maybe my mother. But on him it looked good. It was different. I won the first race easily.

"You let me win," I accused.

"No, I didn't" he said, but I knew it was true. In all the summers and all of the races, no boy, not Austin or Riker and certainly not Jack, had ever let me win.

"You better give it your all this time," I warned. "Or I'm keeping the hoodie"

"Best two out of three" Dallas stated, wiping the hair out of his eyes.

He won the next race, and I won the last one. I wasn't fully convinced that he didn't just let me win – after all, he was so tall and long, his one stroke was worth two of mine. But I wanted to keep the hoodie, so I didn't challenge the win. After all, a win was a win. When he had to leave, I walked him to his car. He didn't get in right away. There was this long pause, the first we'd had, if you can believe it.

Dallas cleared his throat and said, "So this guy I know, Dez, is having a party tomorrow night. Do you maybe want to come?"

"Yeah," I said right away. "I do"

I made the mistake of mentioning it at breakfast the next morning. Mom and Mimi were grocery shopping. It was just me and the boys, the way it had been for the most part this summer.

"I'm going to a party tonight" I said, partly just to say it out loud and partly to brag.

Austin raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You?"

"Whose party?" Riker demanded to know, "Dez's?"

I put down my juice. "How'd you know?"

Riker laughed and wagged his finger at me. "I know everybody here, Ally. I'm a lifeguard. That's like being the mayor. Dez works at construction store over by the mall"

Frowning, Austin said, "Isn't Dez part of a gang?"

"What? No. Dallas wouldn't be friends with someone like that" I said defensively.

"Who's Dallas?" Jasper asked me, frowning.

"That guy I met at Clay's bonfire. He asked me to go to this party with him, and I said yes"

"Sorry. You aren't going to some gang member's party" Austin said. This was the second time Austin was trying to tell me what to do, and I was sick of it. Who did he think he was? I had to go to this party. I didn't care if there was a gang or not, I was going.

"I'm telling you, Dallas wouldn't be friends with someone like that! He's straight edge" I exclaimed. Austin and Riker both snorted. In moments like these, they were a team.

"He's straight edge?" Riker said, trying not to smile, "Neat"

"Very cool" agreed Austin. I glared at the both of them. First they didn't want me hanging out with gang members, and then being straight edge wasn't cool either.

"He doesn't do drugs or drink alcohol, all right? Which is why I highly doubt he'd be friends with a gang leader!" I told them defensively.

Riker scratched his cheek and looked thoughtful, "You know what, it might be Nathan who's part of a gang. Dez's pretty cool. He has a pool table. I think I'll check this party out too"

"Wait, what?" I was starting to panic. They couldn't be there on my first date!

"I think I'll go too," Austin said casually, "I like pool"

I stood up quickly. "You guys can't come. You weren't invited!"

Austin leaned back in his chair and put his arms behind his head. "Don't worry, Ally. We won't bother you on your big date!"

"Unless he puts his hands on you!" Riker ground his fist into his hand threateningly, his blue eyes narrowed, "Then his ass is grass!"

"This isn't happening," I moaned. "You guys, I'm begging you. Don't come. Please, please don't come!"

Riker ignored me. "Hey Aus, what are you gonna wear, tonight?" he asked smirking.

"I haven't thought about it! Maybe my khaki shorts? What are you gonna wear Rik?" Austin grins.

"I hate you guys," I moaned. Things had been weird with me and Austin and also with me and Riker – an impossible thought crept its way into my head. Was it possible they didn't want me with Dallas? Because they, like, had feelings for me? Could that even be? I doubted it. I was like a little sister to them. Only, I wasn't.

When I finished getting ready and it was almost time to go, I stopped by Mimi's room to say good-bye. She and my mother were holed up in there sorting through old pictures. Mimi was all ready for bed, even though it was still pretty early. She had her pillows propped up around her, and she was wearing one of her silk robes that Mr. Moon had bought her on a business trip to Hong Kong

"Come sit down and help us put this album together," Mom said, rifling through an old striped hatbox.

"Penny, can't you see she's all dressed up? She's got better things to do than look at dusty old pictures." Mimi winked at me. "Als, you look fresh as a daisy. I love you in white!"

"Thanks, Mimi," I said. I wasn't all that dressed up, but I wasn't in shorts like the night of the bonfire. I was wearing a white sundress and flip-flops, and I'd put my hair in braids while it was still wet. I knew I'd probably take them out in about half an hour because they were so tight, but I didn't care. They were cute.

"You do look lovely. Where are you headed?" my mother asked me.

"Just to a party" I said.

"Are Austin and Riker going to this party too?" She questioned.

"They're not my bodyguards," I said, rolling my eyes.

"I didn't say they were," My mom answered. Mimi waved me off and said, "Have fun, Ally!"

"I will" I said, shutting the door before my mother could ask me any more questions.

I'd hoped that Austin and Riker had just been kidding around, that they weren't really gonna try to come. But when I ran down the stairs to meet Dallas's car, Riker called out, "Hey, Belly?"

He and Austin were watching TV in the family room. I poked my head in the doorway. "What?" I snapped. "I'm kind of in a hurry"

Riker turned his head toward me and winked lazily. "See you soon." Austin just looked at me.

"What's with the perfume? It's giving me a headache. And why are you wearing all that makeup?" he asked annoyed. I glared at him. I wasn't wearing that much makeup. I had some blush and mascara and a little lip gloss. That was it. It was just that he wasn't used to me wearing any. And I'd sprayed my neck and wrists. That was all… Austin sure hadn't minded Kira's perfume. He'd loved her perfume. Still, I took one last look at myself in the mirror in the hallway and I rubbed a little of the blush off, also the perfume.

Then I slammed the door shut and ran down the driveway, where Dallas was turning in. I'd been watching from my bedroom window so I'd know the exact moment he drove up, so he wouldn't have to come inside and meet my mother. I hopped into Dallas's car.

"Hi" I grinned.

"Hi. I would've rang the doorbell you know" he told me.

"Trust me, it's better this way" I answered him, suddenly feeling very shy. How is it possible to talk to someone on the phone for hours and hours, to even swim with this person, and then feel like you don't know them?

"So this guy Dez, he's kind of weird, but he's a good person," Dallas told me as he backed out of the driveway. He was a good driver, careful.

"Is he by any chance part of a gang?" I asked casually.

"Um, not that I know of" he replied, smiling. I relaxed. Now that the gang stuff was out of the way, there was only one more thing. I twisted the charm bracelet on my wrist over and over.

"So, you know those guys I was with at the bonfire? Riker and Austin?"

"Your fake brothers?" he asked me.

"Yeah. I think they might be stopping by the party too. They know Dez," I said.

"Oh, really?" he asked, "That's cool. Maybe they'll see that I'm not some kind of creep"

"They don't think you're a creep," I told him, "Well, they kind of do, but they'd think any guy I talk to is a creep, so it's nothing personal!"

"They must really care about you a lot to be so protective" was his only reply. Did they?

"Um, not really. Well, Riker does, but Austin is all about duty. Or he used to be anyway. He should've been one of those samurais" I glanced over at Dallas, "I'm sorry. Is this boring?"

"No, keep talking," Dallas said. We continued to talk and when we pulled up to Dez's house, I kind of didn't want to get out of the car. I loved the feeling of talking and having somebody really listen to what I had to say. In this weird way, I felt powerful.

We parked in the cul-de-sac: there were a ton of cars. Some were halfway on the lawn. Dez walked quickly. His legs were so long that I had to hurry to keep up.

"So how do you know this guy?" I asked him.

"He's my supplier" Dallas stated and I gaped at him. He laughed at the expression on my face.

"You're really gullible, Als. His parents have a boat. I've seen him down at the marina. He's a nice guy"

We walked right in without knocking. The music was so loud I could hear it from the driveway. It was karaoke music – there was a girl singing Dynamite at the top of her lungs and rolling around on the ground, her mike getting twisted up in her jeans. There were ten or so people in the living room, drinking beer and passing around a songbook. "Sing California Girls next," some guy urged the girl on the floor.

A couple of guys I didn't recognize were checking me out – I could feel their eyes on me, and I wondered if I really had worn too much makeup. It was a new thing to have guys looking at me, much less asking me on dates. It felt equal parts amazing and scary. I spotted the girl from the bonfire, the one who liked Dallas. She looked at us, and then she looked away, sneaking glances every once in a while. I felt bad for her: I knew how that felt.

I also recognized our neighbor Megan, who spent weekends at Miami – she waved at me, and it occurred to me that I'd never seen her outside of the neighborhood, our front yards. She was sitting next to Jake from the video store, the one who worked on Tuesdays and wore his name tag upside down. I'd never seen the lower half of his body before, he was always standing behind the counter. And then there was the waitress Mindy, from Jimmy's Crab Shack without her red-and-white striped uniform. These were people I'd been seeing every summer for my whole life. So this is where they'd been all this time. Out, at parties, while I'd been left out, locked away in the summer house like Rapunzel, watching old movies with my mother and Mimi.

Dallas seemed to know everybody. He said hi, shoulder-bumping guys and hugging girls. He introduced me. He called me his friend Als.

"Meet my friend Als," he said, "This is Dez. This is his house"

"Hi, Dez" I said.

Dez was sprawled out on the couch, he was wearing a bright colored shirt, and pants with a crazy pattern on them, he also had suspenders on… he seemed okay….

Dez looked up at us. "If you guys want something to drink, there's a cooler in the kitchen" Dallas turned to me.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked. I wasn't sure if I should say yes or not. On the one hand, yeah, I kind of did. I never drank. It would be, like, an experience. Further proof that this summer was special, important. On the other hand, would he be grossed out by me if I did? Would he judge me for it? I didn't know what the straight edge rules were. In the end, I decided against it. The last thing I needed was to smell like Clay had the other night.

"I'll have a Coke," I told Dallas. Dallas nodded, and I could tell he approved. We headed over to the kitchen. As we walked, I heard little snatches of conversation – "I heard Mike got a DUI and that's why he isn't here this summer." "I heard he got kicked out of school." I wondered who Mike was. I wondered if I'd recognize him if I saw him. It was all Jack and Riker and Austin's fault because they never took me anywhere. That was why I didn't know anybody.

All of the chairs in the kitchen had purses and jackets on them, so Dallas moved over some empty beer bottles and made an empty space on the counter. I hopped up and sat on it.

"Do you know all these people?" I asked Dallas.

"Not really," he said. "I just wanted you to think I was cool"

"I already do," I said, and I blushed almost immediately. Dallas laughed like I had made a joke, which made me feel better. He opened up the cooler and pulled out a Coke before opening it and handing it to me.

"Just because I'm straight edge doesn't mean you can't drink. I mean, I'll judge you for it, but you can still drink if you want to. That was a joke, by the way" Dallas stated nervously.

"I know," I told him, "But I'm good with this Coke" That was true. I took a long sip of my Coke and started to unravel one of my braids. They were already too tight, and my head felt sore.

"Why did you do your hair in braids only to take them down?" he asked, "Although your hair looks perfect either way"

I unraveled the other braid and hit him on the shoulder. In my head I heard Austin go, Ooh, you're hitting him now. Way to flirt, Ally, way to flirt. Even when he wasn't there, he was there. And then he really was.

Out of nowhere, I heard Riker's signature yodel on the karaoke machine. I bit my lip. "They're here" I stated.

"You want to go out and say hi?" Dallas asked me.

"Not really" I replied, but I hopped down from the counter anyway.

We went back to the living room, and Riker was center stage, falsetto and singing some song I'd never heard of. The girls were laughing and watching him, all googly-eyed. And Austin, he was on the couch with a beer in his hand. Kira was perched on the armrest next to him, leaning in close and letting her hair fall in his face like a curtain that encased the two of them. I wondered if they'd picked her up, if he'd let her sit shotgun.

"He's a good singer" Dallas stated nonchalantly. Then he looked where I was looking and asked, "Are he and KIRA together?"

"Who knows?" I told him annoyed, "Who cares?"

Riker spotted me then, as he bowed at the end of his song. "Ally! This next song goes out to you!" He pointed at Dallas. "What's your name?"

Dallas cleared his throat. "Dallas. Dallas Centineo.

"Your last name is Centineo? Damn, that sucks, man!" Riker said right into the mike. Everyone laughed, especially Austin, when just a second ago he'd looked so bored.

"It's just Dallas," Dallas said quietly. He looked at me then, and I was embarrassed. Not for him, but of him. I hated them for that. It was like Austin and Riker had deemed him unworthy and so I had to too. It was funny how I'd felt so close to him just a few minutes before.

"Okay, Dallas Centineo. This song goes out to you and our favorite little Ally Kinz. Hit it, ladies!" Some girl pushed the play button on the remote.

"Summer lovin', had me a blast..."

I wanted to kill him, but all I could do was shake my head at him and glare. It wasn't like I could grab the mike out of his hand in front of all these people. Riker just grinned at me and started to dance. One of the girls sitting on the floor jumped up and started dancing with him. She sang the Olivia Newton-John part, off-key. Austin watched in his amused, condescending way. I heard someone ask, "Who is that girl anyway?" She was looking right at me as she said it.

Next to me, Dallas was laughing. I couldn't believe it. I was dying of embarrassment and he was laughing. "Smile, Als" he said, poking me in the side. When someone tells me to smile, I can't help it. I always do.

Midway through Riker's song, Dallas and I walked out and without even looking, I knew Austin was watching us. I could feel it. Dallas and I sat on the staircase and talked. He sat on the step above me. He was nice to talk to, not intimidating at all. I loved the way he laughed so easily, not like with Austin. With Austin you had to work hard for every smile. Nothing ever came easy with Austin. Austin was like a tornado, either all passion or all nothing. He tore up everything in his path. Dallas, it seemed, was like the sun: my own personal sun. His smiles lit up my insides.

The way Dallas was leaning into me, I thought he might try to kiss me. I was pretty sure I'd let him. But he'd lean in and scratch his ankle, or tug at his sock, and then shift away, and then he'd do it again. When he was in the middle of a lean in, I heard pissed off voices coming from the deck outside. One of them was definitely Austin's voice. I jumped up.

"Something's going on out there" I said anxiously.

"Let's check it out" said Dallas, leading the way.

Austin and some guy with a barbed wire tattoo on his forearm were arguing. The guy was shorter than Austin, but stockier. He was packing some serious muscle, and he looked like he was, like, twenty-five. Riker watched, bemused, but I could tell he was alert, ready to jump in if he needed to.

To Riker I whispered, "What are they fighting about?"

He shrugged. "Austin's wasted. Don't worry about it. He's just showing off."

"They look like they might kill each other," I said uneasily.

"They're fine," Dallas said, "But we should probably get out of here. It's late"

I glanced at him. I'd almost forgotten he was standing next to me. "I'm not leaving," I said. Not that I could do anything to stop a fight from happening. But it wouldn't be right to just leave him there. Austin stepped up close to the guy, who shoved him away easily, and Austin laughed. I could feel an actual fight brewing, like a thunderstorm. Just like the way the water got really still before the sky broke open.

"Are you gonna do something?" I hissed at Riker.

"He's a big boy," Riker said, his eyes close on Austin, "He'll be fine."

But he didn't believe it, and neither did I. Austin didn't seem fine at all. He didn't seem like the Austin Moon I knew, all wild and out of control. What if he got himself hurt? What then? I had to help, I just had to. I started walking over to them, and I waved off Riker when he tried to stop me. When I got there, I realized I had no idea what to say. I had never tried to break up a fight before.

"Um, hi," I said, standing between the two of them, "We have to leave"

Austin pushed me out of the way. "Get the hell out of here, Ally"

"Who is this? Your baby sister?" The guy asked as he looked me up and down.

"No. I'm Ally," I told him only I was nervous, and I stuttered when I said my name.

"Ally?" The guy busted out laughing, and I grabbed Austin's arm.

"We're gonna leave now" I commanded him. I realized how drunk he was when he swayed a little as he tried to swat me off.

"Don't leave! Things are just getting fun. See, I'm about to kick this guy's ass" I'd never seen him like this before. His intensity scared me. I wondered where Kira had gone. I kind of wished she was here to handle Austin and not me. I didn't know what I was supposed to do.

The guy laughed, but I could tell he wanted a fight just about as much as I did. He looked tired, like all he wanted was to head home and watch TV in his boxers. Whereas Austin was running on all cylinders. Austin was like a soda bottle that had been shaken up; he was about to explode on somebody. It didn't matter who it was. It didn't matter that this guy was bigger than him. It wouldn't have mattered if he was twenty feet tall and built like a brick. Austin was looking for a fight. He wouldn't be satisfied until he got one. And this guy, he could kill Austin.

The guy kept looking at Austin and then back at me. Shaking his head, he said, "Ally, you better get this little boy home"

"Don't talk to her," Austin warned angrily. I put my hand on Austin's chest. I had never done that before. It felt solid and warm; I could feel his heart beating fast and out of control.

"Can we please just go home," I pleaded. But it was like Austin didn't even see me standing there, or feel my hand on his chest.

"Listen to your girlfriend, kid," the guy said.

"I'm not his girlfriend," I said, glancing over at Dallas, who had no expression on his face. Then I looked back at Riker helplessly, and he ambled over. He whispered something in Austin's ear, and Austin shook him off. But Riker kept talking to him in his low voice, and when they looked at me, I realized it was about me. Austin hesitated, and then he finally nodded. Then he half jokingly made like he was going to hit the guy and the guy just rolled his eyes.

"Good night, douche," he said to the guy.

The guy waved him off with one hand. I let out a big breath. As we walked back to the car, Dallas grabbed my arm. "Are you okay to go home with these guys?" he asked me.

Austin whirled around and asked, "Who is this guy?"

"I'll be fine. Don't worry. I'll call you" I answered but he looked worried.

"Who's driving?" he asked.

"I am," Riker said, and Austin didn't argue. "Don't worry, Straight Edge, I don't drink and drive." I was embarrassed, and I could tell Dallas was bothered, but he just nodded. Quickly I hugged him, and he felt stiff. I wanted to make things okay.

"Thanks for tonight" I said and as I watched him walk away, I felt a stab of resentment because Austin and his stupid temper had ruined my first real date. It wasn't fair.

"You guys get in the car. I left my jacket inside. I'll be right back" Riker told me and Austin.

"Just hurry," I answered. Austin and I got in the car silently. It felt eerily quiet, and even though it was only just past one, it felt like it was four in the morning and the whole world had gone to sleep. He lay down in the backseat, all of his energy from before gone. I sat in the front seat with my bare feet on the dashboard, leaning back far in the seat. Neither of us spoke. It had been frightening back there. I didn't recognize him, the way he'd acted. I suddenly felt very tired. My hair was hanging low, and from the backseat, all of a sudden, I felt Austin touching it, running his fingers through the bottom. I think I stopped breathing. We were sitting in perfect silence, and Austin Moon was playing with my hair.

"Your hair is like a little kid's, the way it's always so messy," he said softly. His voice made me shiver, it was like the sound of water when it pulls off the sand. I didn't say anything. I didn't even look at him. I didn't want to scare him off. It was like the time I had a really high fever, and everything felt gauzy and dizzy and unreal, it felt just like that. All I knew was that I didn't want him to stop.

But he finally did. I watched him in the visor mirror. He closed his eyes and sighed. I did too. "Ally," he began. Just as suddenly, everything in me was alert. The sleepy feeling was gone; every part of my body was awake now. I was holding my breath, waiting for what he would say. I didn't answer him. I didn't want to break the spell.

That's when Riker came back, opened the door and slammed it shut. This moment between us, fragile, snapped in half. It was over. It would do no good to wonder what he was going to say. Moments, when lost, can't be found again. They're just gone. Riker looked at me funny. I could tell he knew that he'd walked in on something. I shrugged at him, and he turned away and started the car.

I reached over to the radio and turned it on, loud. The whole way home, there was this strange tension, everyone keeping quiet. Austin was passed out in the backseat and me and Riker not looking at each other in the front seat. After what felt like ages, we finally pulled up the driveway. Riker told Austin, in what was a harsh tone for him, "Don't let mom see you like this."

It was then when I realized, remembered actually, that Austin really had been drunk, that he couldn't really have been responsible for anything he'd said or done that night. He probably wouldn't remember it tomorrow. It would be like it had never happened. As soon as we got inside, I ran up to my room. I wanted to forget what had happened in the car and only remember the way Dallas had looked at me, on the stairs with his arm touching my shoulder.


	17. Chapter 17

**Yes you read right, I am continuing this story! I found the book laying around and though why not! I will be continuing my other Raura and Rydellington story "Picking Up The Pieces" though, and if you haven't read that one, please dooo! **

_**Recap of Chapter 16:**_

_**It was then when I realized, remembered actually, that Austin really had been drunk, that he couldn't really have been responsible for anything he'd said or done that night. He probably wouldn't remember it tomorrow. It would be like it had never happened. As soon as we got inside, I ran up to my room. I wanted to forget what had happened in the car and only remember the way Dallas had looked at me, on the stairs with his arm touching my shoulder.**_

( I recommend re-reading)

Chapter 17

The next day, nothing. It wasn't that he ignored me, because that would have been something. Some kind of proof that it happened, that something had changed. But no, he treated me the same. Like I was still little Ally, the girl with the messy flyaway ponytail and bony knees, running after them on the beach. I should have known better.

The thing was, whether he was pushing me away or pulling me towards him, I was still going in the same direction. Toward Austin.

Dallas didn't call for a few days. Not that I blamed him. I didn't call him either-although I thought about it. I just didn't know what to say to him.

But when he finally called, he didn't bring up the party. He asked me to go to the drive-in. I said yes. Right away I worried though- did going to the drive-in mean we were going to have to make out? Like, crazy make out, steamed windows and seats all the way in the back?

Because that was what people did at the drive-in. There were the families, and then there were the hot and heavy couples toward the back of the lot. I'd never been half of a couple before. I'd gone as a family, with Mimi, my mom, and everyone, and I'd gone with the boys, but never as a couple, or on a date.

Once, Riker and Jack and I went and spied on Austin on one of his dates. Mimi let Riker drive us, even though he only had his permit. The drive-in was three miles away, and in Miami, everyone drove, even kids on their parent's laps. Austin had been furious when he caught us spying. He'd been on his way to the concession stand when he saw us. It had been pretty funny- his blond hair was all messed up as he yelled at us, and his lips were rosy and they had a glossy sheen. Riker cracked up the whole time.

I wished Jack and Riker were out there now in the dark somewhere, spying on us and cracking up. It would make me feel comfortable somehow. Safer.

I was wearing Dallas's hoodie, and I kept it zipped up all the way to my neck, and my arms were crossed like I was shivering. Even though I liked Dallas, even though I wanted to be there, I had the sudden urge to jump out of the car and walk home. I'd only ever kissed one boy, and that hadn't been for real. Trish called me the nun. Maybe I was one at heart. Maybe I should have joined a convent. I didn't even know if this was an actual date. Maybe he'd been so turned off by me the other night that all he wanted was to be my friend.

Dallas turned the radio until he found the right station. Drumming his hands on the steering wheel, he said, "Do you want any popcorn or anything?"

I kind of did, but I didn't want it to get stuck in my teeth, so I said no, thanks.

He was pretty into the movie, the way he leaned up close to the windshield to get a closer look sometimes. It was an old horror movie, one that Dallas told me was really famous, but I'd never heard of it. I was barley paying attention anyway- I felt like I was watching him more than the movie. He licked his lips a lot. He didn't look over and laugh with me during the funny parts, the way Riker did. He just sat on his side of the car, leaned up against the door, as far away from me as possible.

When the movie was over, he started the car up. "Ready?" He said.

I felt a wave of disappointment. He was taking me home already. He wasn't going to take me to Scoop's to get an ice cream cone, or hot fudge sundae to share. The date, if you could even call it that, had been a failure. He didn't even try to make out with me once. Not that I knew if I wanted him too, or if I'd have let him. But still. He could've at least tried.

"Um-hmm," I said. I felt like I might cry, and I wasn't sure why, when I hadn't even been sure if I had wanted him to kiss me in the first place.

We drove home in silence. He parked the car in front of the house- I held my breath a little, my hand on the door handle, waiting to see if he'd turn of the ignition or if I should hop out. But he turned it off and leaned his head back against the headrest for a second.

"Do you know why I remembered you?" He asked me suddenly.

It was a question so out of nowhere, that it took me a little to figure out what he was talking about.

"You mean from the Latin Convention?"

"Yeah."

"Was it my Coliseum model?" I was only half-joking. Jack had helped me build it; it had been pretty impressive.

"No." Dallas ran his fingers through his hair. He wouldn't look at me. "It's because I thought you were really pretty. Like, maybe the most prettiest girl I'd ever seen."

I laughed. In the car, it sounded really loud. "Yeah right. Nice try, Sextus."

"I mean it." He insisted, his voice rising.

"You're making that up," I didn't believe it could be true. I didn't want to let myself believe it. With the boys any compliment would be the first part of a joke.

He shook his head, lips tight. He was offended that I didn't believe him. I hadn't meant to hurt his feelings. I just didn't see how it could be true. It was almost mean of him to lie about it. I knew what I looked like back then, and I wasn't the prettiest girl _anybody _had ever seen, with my thick glasses and chubby cheeks and little girl body.

Dallas looked me in the eyes then. "The first day, you wore a blue dress. It was, like, corduroy or something. It made your eyes look really blue."

"My eyes are gray," I said.

"But it made them look blue."

Which was why I wore it. It was my favorite. I wonder what happed to it, it was probably packed away in the attic at home. It was too small anyway.

He looked so sweet, the way he watched me, waiting for my reaction. His cheeks were flushed peach. I swallowed hard and said, "Why didn't you come up to me?"

He shrugged. "You were always with your friends. I watched you that whole week, trying to get the nerve. I couldn't believe when I saw you at the bonfire that night. Pretty bizarre, huh?" Dallas laughed, but he sounded embarrassed.

"Pretty bizarre," I echoed. I couldn't believe he'd noticed me. With Trish by my side, who would have even bothered to look at me?

"I almost messed up my Catullus speech on purpose, so you'd win," he said remembering. He inched a little closer to me.

"I'm glad you didn't," I said. I reached out and touched his arm. My hand shook. "I wish you had come up to me,"

That's when he dipped his head low and kissed me. I didn't let go of the door handle. All I could think was, _I wish this had been my first kiss._


	18. Chapter 18

**Woot! Chapter 18! I'm on a rolllllll! I don't own anything! This story is halfway over! :'(**

When I went into the house, I walking on cotton candy and clouds, replaying everything that had just happened-until I heard my mom and Mimi arguing in the living room. Fear seized up inside of me; it felt like a fist clenched tight around my heart. They never fought, not really. I'd only seen them fight once. It was last summer. The three of us had gone shopping to this fancy mall, the kind where people bring their pocket-size dogs on fancy leashes. I saw this dress- it was red chiffon, with little off the shoulder straps, way too old for me. I loved it. Mimi said that I should try it on, just for fun, so I did. She took one look at me and said I had to have it. My mom shook her head right away. She said, "She's fourteen. Where will she wear a dress like that?" Mimi said it didn't matter, that it was made for me. I knew we couldn't afford it, my mother was newly divorced, after all. But I still pleaded with her. I begged. They got into an agreement right there in the boutique, in front of people. Mimi wanted to but it for me, and my mother would have it. I told them never mind, I didn't want it, even though I did. I knew my mom was right, that I'd never wear it.

When we got back from Miami at the end of the summer, I found the dress in my suitcase, wrapped in paper and packed neatly on top like it had always been there. Mimi had gone back and bought it for me. It was so like her to do that. Later, my mom must have seen it hanging up in my closet, but she said nothing.

Standing in the foyer, listening, I felt like the spy Jack was always accusing me of being. But I couldn't help it.

I heard Mimi say, "Penny, I'm a big girl now. I need you to stop trying to manage my life. I'm the one who gets to decide how I want to live it."

I didn't want to wait for my mother's response. I walked right in and said, "What's going on?" I looked at my mother when I said it, and knew I sounded like I was blaming her, but I didn't care.

"Nothing. Everything's fine," My mom said, but her eyes looked red and tired.

"Then why were you fighting?"

"We weren't fighting, hun," Mimi assured me. She reached out and smoothed my shoulder, like she was ironing out wrinkled silk. "Everything really is fine,"

"It didn't sound like it."

"Well, it is," Mimi told me.

"Promise?" I asked. I wanted to believe her.

"Promise," She said without any hesitation.

My mother walked away from us, and I could see from the stiffness of her shoulders that everything was not fine, that she was upset. But because I wanted to stay with Mimi, where everything really was fine. I didn't follow her. My mom was the kind of person who would rather be alone anyway. Just ask my father.

"What's the matter with her?" I whispered to Mimi.

"It's nothing. Tell me about your date with Dallas," She said, leading me to the wicker couch in the sunroom.

I should have kept pressing her, should have tried to figure out what had happened between the two of them, but my worry was already fading away. I wanted to tell her everything about Dallas, everything. Mimi had that way about her, where you wanted to tell her all your secrets and everything in between.

She sat on the couch and patted her lap. I sat down next to her and put my head on her lap and she smoothed my hair away from my forehead. Everything felt safe and cozy, like that fight hadn't just happened. And maybe it hadn't even been a fight. Maybe, I had misread the whole thing. "Well, he's so different from anyone I've ever met," I began.

"How so?"

"He's just so smart, and he doesn't care what people think. And he's so good-looking. I can't even believe her pays me any attention."

Mimi shook her head. "Oh, please. Of course he should pay you attention. You're so lovely, darling. You've really blossomed this summer. People can't help but pay you attention."

"Ha," I said, but felt flattered. She was so good at making people feel special. "I'm glad I have you to talk to about this kind of stuff,"

"I am too, but you can always talk to your mother too, you know?"

"She wouldn't be interested. Not really. She'd pretend to be, but she wouldn't,"

"Oh Ally, that's not true. She would care. She does care." Mimi cradled my face in her hands. "Your mom is your biggest fan, next to me. She cares about everything you do. Don't shut her out."

I didn't want to talk about my mother anymore. I wanted to talk about Dallas. "You'll never believe what Dallas said to me tonight," I began.


End file.
